Have you noticed that no matter how big our homes are we tend to accumulate enough things to more than fill our home- or am I the only one that thinks this? It takes conscious effort to keep our homes from getting overrun with stuff, and regular purging is always a good idea. But. What happens if you are purging, and you have already tried to organize your home, (see my post on how to organize your home), and it still seems like you don’t have enough room?? Or you have room but you’re having a hard time making your storage functional and fabulous at the same time? This is when you have to get creative to maximizes your home’s storage- enter hidden home storage.
There are lots of little ways to maximize storage in your home for example:
What’s under your bed?
Under your bed is a great place for extra storage. In our guest room, which also doubles as an office, we have a tub on wheels in which we keep extra printer paper, extra file folders, and the like. In our bedroom we use tubs under the bed to store our shoes. Many bedframes have built in drawers underneath the mattress- brilliant!
The Tv Stand
Tv’s are so hard, who wants to decorate around a big tv that we would rather not when we aren’t watching it? Perhaps though we can use it to our advantage! If it can not be hung on a wall then on a stand it must go! Instead of buying a traditional entertainment stand try repurposing a short dresser- that way you can use the drawers as storage but have none of the clutter visible! An added bonus when using a dresser is that the tv cords can drop behind the dresser and no one has to see the mass of wires hiding back there!
The Ottoman
We opted for an Ottoman in our small living area rather than having a coffee table to save space. The plus is that when we bought an ottoman we made sure to get one that opened to contain extra storage inside! It’s so nice that now when I get settled on the couch and immediately decide that I’m cold, I just have to lift my feet and pull out a blanket!
End tables
End tables are a great opportunity to squeeze out some extra home storage too! Some like the ottoman I just mentioned have a lid that you can lift off to reveal storage, while others, like the ones we have, are open underneath and you can fit a cute bin under the table to hold magazines, books, games or whatever else you’re always wishing you had within arms reach!
Chairs
Whether we just have more stuff than people used to, or whether we are just getting smarter about how to hide the amount of things that we have, companies are getting better about building furniture with hidden spots for storage. Some chairs, or chaise lounges have cushions that lift up for maximum storage, so if you are in the market for an accent piece see if you can find one you like with a little extra storage! If you can’t, remember a slim decorative basket slid under the chair can not only look nice but be functional too- what a good place to hide dog toys!
Closets
There are many ways to squeeze extra storage out of a small closet; you can place a hook over the door of your closet to store bags and items you don’t often use. If you have racks that not only have the bar on which to hang your clothes but also have built in racks above them then you can place bins for added storage. I also have a hanging shoe holder in my closet but instead of storing shoes in it I roll my T-shirts and keep them in it! I really like doing this because in a quick glance I can see all the shirts that I have and then I don’t get stuck wearing the same shirts that are on top in my dresser!
Under Cabinets
A wire rack that unfolds into a shelf is great for under the sink, but don’t forget about the magic a good tension rod can do either! Using a tension rod under a sink from which you can hang cleaning bottles will free up space on the bottom of the shelf for more items that you can’t hang! Or in a tall narrow cabinet, use the tension rods vertically as dividers!
I hope this helped to spark some ideas of how to squeeze more storage out of your home, and to do so more beautifully too! For more ideas on how to make your home functional and fabulous check out the book: Beautifully Organized by Nikki Boyd! Stop by and follow me over on Instagram and I would love to see your innovative organizing ideas- just email me at Essentiallyemmamarie@gmail.com!
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I have stated time and time again how much I love historical fiction, and I am noticing that a subgroup in this genre that I enjoy is biographical historical fiction, where the story is built around what is known about the person from his or her own words, letters, and life events. In addition I absolutely love learning about the revolutionary war and the founding of our country. I can’t get enough of historical fiction from this time period.
Therefore you can imagine my excitement when I found, “America’s First Daughter about Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph, Thomas Jefferson’s Daughter. Here was a book about the revolution, a closer glimpse into Jefferson’s personal life, told through the lense of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter. I started listening to it as an Audio book and at first I was really enjoying it…. then I felt like it started to drag…. Now let me say that reader of the audio book has a very slow reading pace, and honestly I think that impacted how I experienced the book, I believe that if I had nudged up the reading pace it would have held my interest better, as it was I was probably only about a third of the way through the book when it began to feel like a slog.
The other component is that Martha did not lead an overly joyous life, there were happy times, but oh so many hard times too. This book accurately portrays the struggles of the day in the new nation as well as Martha’s personal struggles too. A turbulent childhood at times spent fleeing th British, gave way to a fairly happy adolescent spent abroad in Paris as a diplomat’s daughter, then giving way to a marriage colored by abuse. As a woman in the 18th and early 19th century Martha was no stranger to commonplace domestic violence, the loss of children, as well as financial struggles. I would never wish when reading something of this nature for the authors to paint a rosy picture that did not exist in real life- and there were bright spots to Martha’s life, her close relationship with her father for one- but readers should be prepared to spend time with Martha mourning the loss and traveling with her through the trails of her life, when they pick up this book.
I then saw that the same Authors, Laura Kamoie and Stephanie Dray, had written another book, My Dear Hamilton, which is the life story of Elizabeth Hamilton, better known as Eliza Hamilton. Should I read My Dear Hamilton when I wasn’t thrilled with America’s First Daughter? I was apprehensive to pick up this book but, as I said earlier, I can never resist a book that takes place during the American Revolution, I went for it. I am so glad I did!! I enjoyed learning the story of Eliza Hamilton as well as learning about Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers that really doesn’t get the attention he deserves- probably due in part to the fact that he never became president.
Eliza’s life was not perfect either; loss, scandal, betrayal, and heartbreak were defiantly written across Eliza’s life story. So were happiness, success, fulfillment, and reconciliation. Maybe because this book dwelt more on the happy times of Eliza’s life than America’s First Daughter did on Martha’s, I found My Dear Hamilton to be a very compelling read. I got immersed in Eliza’s world, in the turbulence of the time and I learned of the very interesting life of Alexander Hamilton, a founding father who was a model of the American dream, starting with nothing, and working his way up to eventually be founder of the American Treasury. I also learned how fragile the new nation was, we think because we won the Revolution that everything was fine, but things were much more precarious than that!
Both books tell the stories of strong and resilient women, who along with their famous relatives, fought to forge the great country we have today. In reading either of these books you will become enmeshed in turn of the century America and you will learn a lot about the struggle it took to bring forth this nation.
When I compare the stories of the two women I see that both lived lives of much hardship. Neither led easy lives, however if you read America’s First Daughter and weren’t thrilled, I urge you not to let that stop you from picking up, My Dear Hamilton, and give it a try! Regardless of which book you choose the authors do a wonderful job of bringing both of these women back to life. Both Patsy and Eliza, emerge from the pages as fully formed people with all the flaws and character quirks that we all have. Ms Dray and Ms Kamoie are great writers who you can tell have taken great pains to flesh out their character without changing who these women were. Pick up either book and you will be dropped into a rich portrait of colonial America.
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12 NIV
I was talking to my mom in my car on the way home a few days ago, don’t worry I was wearing my wireless headset so I could talk safely, my mother was just responding to something I said and I could tell she was on a roll when- dead zone! I completely lost service and didn’t hear a word she said.
When I got a signal back I called her again and she answered saying, “I thought to myself, ‘Wow I must really be making a good point she hasn’t interrupted yet!’ ” “I don’t interrupt that much, do I!?” I said interrupting again. “Well no, you just like to join in on what people are saying,” Mom said cutting me a little slack.
That conversation got me thinking… I had been aware that I am not always the best listener, and this was something I had determined to work on, and be more aware of this year, but man, do I really do it all the time?? I attended a workshop once where the speaker said a statement, “People will say the most important thing right before they are done speaking.” How often do I miss that?
In my eagerness to jump in and show that I am listening I often cut people off, interrupting and by default showing that what I have to say is more important than what they have to say.
Christ gave us the command to “Love one another, ” and to “Do unto others as we would have them do unto us.” One of the best ways to love others is to listen and listen well to them. Sure what I have to say may be important but so is what they have to say- and regardless isn’t it more important to show love to them than to show them how smart we think we are?
With God’s help and by His grace I will work to become a better listener, this will be a focus for me this new year- what about you? Is there an area of your life in which you know you can improve but have been trying to ignore? Why not ask God to help you transform this area of your life this year? There’s no time like the present to do so!
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Valentine’s Day is upon us, what do you do for Valentine’s Day? Do you buy chocolate? Go out to eat at a fancy restaurant? Take the opportunity to write little love notes to family members who are close to you? Do you take a moment to remember what this day is about? Do you even know?
Valentine’s Day drops in the middle of winter, a bright splash of red against a gray pallet that is winter. It’s fun to set aside a day to do something special with those we love, most of us regard Valentine’s Day as a rather fluffy holiday with very little substance, apart from expressing how much we love the people in our lives. Valentine’s Day is in fact though, a holiday with some very deep roots.
St Valentine was a priest in Rome in the third century when Rome was under the rule of Emperor Claudius II, or Claudius the Cruel as he was also known. Claudius was working hard to expand his kingdom; which of course took many battles, which then included bloodshed, which resulted in the need for more men to leave their homes and come fight at the front.
Understandably many of the men did not want to leave their families which would have little means of making an income and providing for themselves if they were to die, and it became difficult to recruit more men to fight. Claudius decided that if families were the reason he was having a hard time recruiting men then he must simply end the family unit, which he did by outlawing marriage.
St Valentine refused to follow this order knowing that if you destroyed the family, an institution ordained by God, you would also destroy the whole of society. So risking his life Valentine continued to hold marriage ceremonies in secret, and to convert people to Christianity. Eventually he was discovered and was thrown in prison where, legend has it, he befriended the jailer’s daughter, who was tasked with delivering meals to the prisoners. The fateful day finally came on which Valentine was to be beheaded, and he left a last note bidding farewell to the jailer’s daughter, signing the note, “Your Valentine,” and thenceforth immortalizing himself.
St Valentine was probably not the only priest to disobey the orders. Indeed there are records of at least two other Valentines who were also martyred for holding fast to their beliefs. These people sacrificed their lives to protect marriage and the family.
This Valentine’s Day I hope you get to spend time with your loved ones, but I hope too that you will pause amidst your activities and remember the sacrifice that our ancestors made. It is something worth remembering.
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And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19 ESV
Enough. We just came through a year in which I felt there was never enough. I operated most of my days in a panicked rush, hurrying to do, get and be enough. There was seemingly never enough time. Not enough money. Not enough sleep. Not enough time spent with friends and family. Never enough. I didn’t set out to live this way intentionally but by default it happened. There is always a default that takes over when we are not intentional. So I lived in lack, a self fulfilling mindset that there wasn’t enough of anything, so of course there wasn’t.
The funny thing is that when I got to the end of the year and looked back I realized that there had always been enough. Just enough sometimes, but enough nonetheless. Just enough time to force me to prioritize what really mattered. Enough money to cover the unexpected expense. There was still precious time spent making memories with family. There was enough.
After looking over my previous year I made a conscious decision. I would not live at that frenetic pace, in that scarcity mindset this year. I would choose to believe that there is enough. That’s what God promises too.
He doesn’t promise that there will always be plenty. He promises that there will be enough, that He will supply our needs. Because He is enough. There is an old Hymn that we always sang in the Church I grew up in called, “My God is Enough.” The song goes on to say about how He’s never been known to fail, that His powers still prevail. I choose to believe that. I choose to believe that even if there isn’t enough of something that everything will be ok because He is still in control and what more do I possibly need than the Creator of the whole world telling me that it will all be ok, that He is enough.
