organizing my hall closet

i said that it was coming and it happened. i organized my hall closet, finally!

here is the before picture.

and here is the after.

i know it probably doesn't look that much different, but boy of boy it sure does feel a ton different in there.

first i pulled everything out of there.  sorted everything into a couple of different piles.
1. definitely going back in the closet
2. needs to be put somewhere else
3. get rid of - donate to thrift store
4. garbage pile

then i went to work organizing the items that i wanted to stay in the closet.  i reused some organizers and added a couple more.  i mostly wanted to use this closet for bed linens, paper, batteries, kids coloring and kid's craft stuff. to make everything more accessible to everyone, i labeled all the drawers with my label maker.

i also put anything the kids would need to get into down low and kept the stuff that i wanted them to stay out of on a higher shelf.

sorry, this pic ended up a little blury.

my drawers/bins included:
1. coloring books
2. notebooks
3. worksheets
4. cords and scale
5. magnetic dolls
6. construction paper
7. kid's craft items
8. AA batteries
9. AAA & 9V batteries
10. D & C Batteries
11. tape
12. rechargeable batteries
13. sewing stuff
14. markers
15. color wonder markers
16. color wonder paper
17. crayons

yes, a couple of those bins in there are old wipe containers.  use whatever you have i say.

now the only problem is that a bunch of the items that didn't make it back into the closet are sitting on my craft table in the basement waiting for a new home.  oh well, one space at a time, right?

carter family easter party & egg bashing contest

on sunday, we attended my mom and dad's annual easter party.  as usual, a good time was had by all!

the egg bashing contest was a success for the harwood family this year.  isaac's egg survived all of the egg rolling and bashing.  he was super excited to bring home the coveted plaque of champions.  we brought home the title 2 years ago in amelia's hands!

then of course we turned our attention outside where grandma was again very generous with candy, prizes and money in the easter egg hunt.  i use the term "hunt" liberally here, as it is more just a free-for-all than an actual hunt.

all the grandkids pose for a picture with their loot afterward.

silly picture!

a warm saturday

started my saturday bright and early at our stake farm.  where i spent a couple of hours with my hubby and kids, and one of my beautiful mia maids, picking up rocks.

then it was back home to finish cleaning our home and yard.  afterwards, i spent some time in the backyard playing with these two on the swing set.

i wish my behind would fit in one of those swings.  i tried and it wasn't pretty!

after a while, i got cleaned up and went to the yw general meeting broadcast at my stake center.  such good stuff.  i definitely encourage you, if nothing else, to watch this video.

after that i hurried home to color easter eggs with my kiddos.

what a good day!