From the Front Porch: Spring Cleaning and Organizing Edition
Happy Thursday from the front porch sweet friends and welcome to the spring cleaning and organizing edition!
How has your week been?
If you’re a planner nerd like me, this week has been extra special because we started a fresh month and a fresh quarter on a Monday which hardly ever happens!
Speaking of which, are you ready for the solar eclipse on Monday? We took a few ideas from this fun post, 10 Solar Eclipse Snacks for a Cosmic Party via Today. I have no idea how Moon Pies and Crescent Rolls failed to make the list though. They should totally be on there!
I’ve spent most of the week packing up Easter decor, ordering supplies for upcoming posts, decluttering and organizing linen closets, planning a bathroom refresh, learning a new business tool, working on school, and catching up on things we had to put on the back burner in March.
The days have been long but it feels so good to get things done, you know?
I think sometimes we forget how much mental real estate it takes to manage things like celebrating long holiday weekends, finalizing taxes, planning vacations, and preparing for upcoming spring to summer events or school activities on top of our busy home and work lives.
It’s a lot.
Not to mention, how easy it can be to let cleaning and decluttering tasks and other healthy habits go when you’re trying to keep all the balls in the air.
So, if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed at all this week, I encourage you to ask yourself, “What do I need most right now?” and then take action on your answer.
It might be as simple as pulling out a sheet of paper to do a brain dump so you can prioritize those things that feel pressing, asking for help, delegating certain tasks to family members or coworkers, sitting in silence so you can think without distractions, addressing the piles that are cluttering up your house, putting on a podcast and deep cleaning, going to bed earlier, creating better boundaries, or taking a mental wellness day.
After all, *knowing* what we need to do is only part of the journey. To truly live intentionally, we must *do* the things we know we need to do.
As always, I’ll be cheering you on.
A Few of Our Favorite Posts From Around the Web This Week…
Beautiful Home and Garden Tours:
- There are so many beautiful details in this, Modern French Country Farmhouse tour. (via Maison de Cinq)
- If you love the idea of turning a cottage into a guesthouse, you’ll love this home tour from architect Greg Dutton and designer Liz Dutton. (via Remodelista)
- This Modern Meets Farmhouse Dream Kitchen is so pretty.
Seasonal Inspiration:
- How cute is this flower arrangement from Cindy of Cloches and Lavender? You could use it for lots of upcoming spring to summer events.
- Wait until you see the amazing Spring flowers and gardens, Jennifer from Town and Country Living recently shared. You’ll want to pin them all!
- Spring color schemes to make your home feel fresh this season according to House Beautiful.
Health and Wellness Inspiration:
- 6 Green Flags Your Vision Board is Working (via Camille Styles – #3 totally got me! The quote from the post, “It was like I was living on auto-pilot and riding the current of other people’s desires,” completely stopped me in my tracks.)
- Have you seen this Emergency Documents Bingo Card from Abby Organizes yet? It’s such a creative way to help allieviate the stress of getting your important papers together.
- How to Avoid Brain Fatigue (via Coveteur)
Style and Travel Inspiration:
- Grace from The Stripe recently shared her fabulous hotel bucket list and now I want to make one too.
- Leanne from Classy Yet Trendy shared a great post on 10 Ways to Wear Chanel-Style Cap Toe Slingback Pumps with lots of cute outfit ideas. If you’re like me and can’t wear slingbacks because you have a long foot and small ankles these flats from J Crew have a similar look and are on sale for a limited time.
- How to Apply Bronzer for a Glowy Complexion (via Real Simple)
Simple Pleasures and Little Luxuries:
- Talk about a wardrobe staple – love this!
- This new to me jewelry company has lots of pretty things. So, I wanted to pass it along in case you need some Mother’s Day gift ideas.
- Speaking of gifts, how cute is this monogrammed bag?
If You’ve Missed Anything from the Blog or the Archives Recently, Here’s a Peek At What We’ve Been Up To…
Spring Cleaning and Organizing Task List
Our Favorite Cleaning Essentials
Quick and Easy 5 Minute Topiary
Simple Ways to Decorate with White
You can find last week’s From the Front Porch: Spring Garden Edition here if you missed it…
Organizing Essentionals We Spotted Online at Amazon This Week…
(Amazon affiliate links have been provided for your convenience. As an Amazon and Impact Media Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Any sales made through such links will support us with a small commission at no extra cost for you. You can read our full disclosure policy here)
- Fridge Calendar (the magnetic calendar I talked about in this week’s Tuesday’s Tip Sheet. We’ve used it almost every day for several years now and we still love it)
- Organizers with Lids (trying to decide if I need these in one of the linen closets, will report back)
- Meal Prep Containers (have, love and use all the time)
- XL Storage Baskets (thinking about using these in our biggest linen closet, will report back)
- Sink Basket (have, love and use daily)
- Food Storage Containers (my parents use the smaller size for snacks and we use the big size for cereals)
- XL Storage Baskets (plan to use these in the bathroom linen closet, just need to unpack them)
- 3 Drawer Unit (have, love and use in multiple cabinets and closets)
- Cube Storage Bins (will probably use these in the big linen closet)
- Echo (keeps us organized every day, multiple times a day)
- Clear Drawer Organizers (we use these is almost every drawer in the house)
- Jumbo Organizers (plan to use these in the bathroom linen closet, just need to unpack them)
- Cube Organizer (currently use for extra storage in my tiny closet)
- Dyson Docking Station (have, love and use every day)
- Turntable (we use these in the refrigerator, closets, and cabinets. They’re so versatile)
- Battery Organizer (we use this a lot but most especially during the holiday season)
As always, we appreciate you more than you could ever know, and we hope your weekend is peace-filled and relaxing. We can’t wait to share even more with you next week!
Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.Many blessings,
CoCo
I can relate to this flaky friend post Coco
You wouldnt believe how many times this happens in a mom group I’m in and how the lack of respect has caused hurt feelings. Most people I know either keep a paper calendar or they use their phones. Theres really no excuse. Glad you were able to turn the day around.
Aww thank you Sarah. It was not easy but I’m thankful for the unexpected fun from the day. I know just what you mean about using our calendars and phones to help keep everything on track so we don’t overbook or over schedule. As you well know, I think it all depends on what and how your prioritize the people in your life no matter if your dealing with kids, a business meeting or making time for your friends. Hope your weekend is a happy one, CoCo
I finally have pulling myself out of a funk since Peanut died. It’s been so hard for us.
I couldn’t take our home filled with clutter anymore. So, I took action it felt great.
Thank you for sharing my cabbage vase. It’s perfect all summer.
So excited for you, Cindy! It definitely makes a difference when you clear out the clutter in order to welcome new things into your life. Keep in mind grief is a process so remember to give yourself lots of grace, you’ll get there. Keeping you in prayers today and always, CoCo
Hey CoCo – We are so sorry that this happened. Since our big-event in December, we have each made drastic changes in our lives. It truly made us hone-in on what and who are really important to enrich and enhance our lives. The “energy-sucks” didn’t make the cut. It’s not like we had a face-to-face meeting or anything. We just slowly began spending less time with them. Honestly, it just came about naturally – like, realizing there were other relationships to be nurtured and loved.
You friend, definitely make the cut! Much love!
Vicki and Jenn
I can soo relate!! Not a fan of what I call time abuse .
Enjoyed the shots of one of my new favourite places ?
That is such a great way to think about it, Gee! It definitely makes you so much more aware of how you spend your time especially when something like that happens. Fort Clinch is one of those places that feel like an unspoiled area of Florida. Parts of it were damaged after the last hurricane so it makes us all kind of excited to see it making a comeback! Hugs, CoCo
I really enjoy your posts, but most of all, I enjoy your front porch posts! I do have a question. Why do you refer to yourself as “we” rather than “I”? Just curious!
Thanks so much for your kind words, Debbie. These From the Front Porch posts take me the longest but they’re so much fun because I get to discover lots of new things to share with you. As far as “we” vs “I” my bestie S helps me run the website so sometimes I’m referring to S, and sometimes it’s based on a conversation I’ve had with my family. We talk all the time! Hope your week has been filled with all good things, CoCo
Coco
As always you share the most thought provoking moments. Thanks for all your inspiration.
I really appreciate it, sweet friend, thanks so much! Hugs, CoCo
How did they miss Moon Pies and Crescent Rolls? Whoever publishes that list should hire you. I am in serious brain dump status since the next several days are going to be all about implementation and “not forgetting anything”. Oy Vey. Yes – planning for vacations and other events definitely takes up a lot of mental real estate. Although in the end it’s worth it. Thank you for putting these front porch posts together. I always learn something new and appreciate so many of the links you share.
CoCo,
Thanks so much for stopping by!!! I am pulling back a bit from blogging as my husband was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that has spread to the liver….
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
Sounds like you’ve been very busy! Thanks for the reminder to prioritize what needs to be done! I hope you had fun watching the eclipse and have a wonderful week!