The Power of Clean

During the first trimester of pregnancy, I enter survival mode. Cleaning gets pared back to its most basic elements. This is a necessary evil, and I accept that, but by the time I awoke from the discomfort, things were starting to feel cluttered and out of order at the homestead.

The epicenter of the problem was the master bedroom, mainly because it's the place that gets the least attention when the going gets tough and the tough need to sit down. I wasn't worried about houseguests seeing it, or the appliance repairman (I'm crazy, I know, but when a repair person comes to the house my inner monologue goes something like this: He's judging that sticky highchair, what is that all over the legs? How long has that been on there? Wait, what's that on the wall...). But then it started to make me crazy. Er. Crazier.

The room only has one window, which is currently housing an air-conditioning unit (I'm not complaining), and tends to be a bit dark any time of year because of the direction it faces. It also isn't large. Any amount of clutter just makes it feel... cluttered. And not peaceful, inviting, or any other positive adjective. So, what's a girl to do? Get cleaning!

I took several steps. First, I gathered up all the miscellaneous paper clutter (where does it come from?!), sorted, filed, and shredded. Next, I commandeered a Rubbermaid tote that was being under utilized in a closet. It was empty. I removed roughly 2/3 of the books and publications from the room,  putting some in the tote to store in the basement and destining others for Goodwill. I also removed other excess clutter from the nightstand and armoire top, dusted, and vacuumed.

Now that the room was clean, I did some tweaking to make it more comfortable. I put the blue fleece throw that always falls off the end of the bed into the nightstand, tidy and accessible. I found a round mirror in another room that works perfectly above the bookcase to reflect the light from the opposite window. Below the mirror, I condensed my jewelry down to what I wear most, and arranged it on a platter that wasn't being used in the kitchen. For visual interest, I added some cut greenery to an old Limoncello bottle. A piggy bank sits on the second shelf to gather the change that gets emptied out of pockets at the end of the day.

I also hid an exposed extension cord from the lamp under the bed, rather than around the side of the bed. I hung a large bulletin board (no longer needed by a friend) and pinned lots of pics* of the family; having an arrangement that goes higher on the wall makes the ceiling feel taller. My husband also picked up some easy to install lights ($5 each) for inside the closet, which make getting dressed much easier. These are such simple, inexpensive things that made the room feel so much better.

There are a few more things on the to-do list, like picking out a new ceiling fan and installing it, but I am very pleased with the way things stand now. I wish I could go take a nap!

Make sure to tune in tomorrow for one more little project I've been working on!

*Did you know that you can print Instagram pics directly from the local Walgreens!? Download the Walgreen's app and select the appropriate option. The prints are 4x4 and mine were ready in under 45 minutes!