Home & Garden
Page 10
The Endless Pursuit of Organization
Part 1: Functional Areas vs. Non-Functional Areas by Chelsey Lauer, Founder and CEO, JLB Simplify Home Organizing
We have all been there and said, "next weekend we have to get that basement cleaned up and organized". If we are lucky, we find a way to push "next weekend" out as far as possible. One of my favorite words when it comes to running a professional organizing business, is the word functional. It is also the first step to the JLB Organizing Method. I think we all strive to have a functional home that is also organized. However, the feeling of “being overwhelmed” is the #1 reason we put off organizing projects in our home. To better understand why certain areas are harder for us to tackle than others I want to explain the difference between a functional area of your home vs. a non-functional area. Understanding the difference can make the non-functional areas, which tend to the be areas of your home you
are the most overwhelmed, much easier to tackle. First, I want to explain the difference between a functional area and a nonfunctional area from my perspective as a professional organizer. Functional areas in our homes are normally closets, kitchens, offices, linen clothes etc. They function, maybe not as well as you would like, but the area gets the jobs done. What these areas normally need are to be decluttered and then organized. Then you have your non-functional areas. These tend to be the "catch all" areas: basements, spare bedrooms, or garages. These are the areas we tend to close the door to and forbid entrance to if a guest comes over. Often, these are the areas where you aren’t 100% sure what lurks inside, and even if you were certain, it could take 30 minutes of digging to find the item you were seeking. These areas tend to be hard to walk around in, with piles upon piles which can make looking for anything like a game a Jenga (can I move this, without that falling, etc.).
Over the next few weeks, I am going to share some simple tips and tricks to help you turn these nonfunctional areas into functional areas. This then makes the decluttering and organizing steps easier. Taking just a few steps to turn a non-functional area into a functional area will make you feel so much more confident and then be motivated to fine tune and keep the area organized. The acronym I use for the JLB 4Step Organizing Method is F.D.O.P. This is short for Functional, Decision Making, Organizing, and Personalization. Before you can get an area organized, you have to make the area functional and make decisions about the items in your home. The decision is not just if you need to keep an item or not but deciding what the item is to you and what category it should be organized in. After these two steps, you can start organizing. Once that step is complete, you can personalize the project or area. Next article, I will cover the ground rules to follow and the supplies you will want to have on hand when you tackle
transforming a non-functional area into a functional area.
there are many local museums and art galleries to explore. The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art is a great place to spend the day. The “Napoleon: Power and Splendor Tour” exhibition is open through March 10th. A number of works on display have never been exhibited before in North America. Tickets for the Napoleon exhibit are $18/adults, $16/seniors, $10/ students with ID, and free for children under 12. There is no admission fee to tour any of the other galleries at the NelsonAtkins Museum. The Rozzelle Court Restaurant at the center of the museum is a great place to stop for lunch or dessert, and there are plenty of spots indoors and outdoors to snap photos. To purchase tickets and plan your trip, visit www.nelson-atkins.org Another great indoor activity would be
to visit the World War I Museum, located approximately 30 minutes from Grain Valley near Crown Center and Union Station. The museum is open 10:00am – 5:00pm Tuesday-Sunday. There are several tour options, and detailed ticketing information can be found at www.theworldwar.org Free parking is available on the south side of the museum. Like the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the World War I Museum offers a number of great places to snap photos, especially from the observation deck which offers an amazing view of Kansas City. However short spring break may be, take some time to enjoy time off from school with friends and family.
Until next time, Chelsey Lauer
Chelsey Lauer created JLB Simplify Home Organizing in 2015 after realizing that sometimes life throws to much at you and no matter how hard you try, your home continues to be a cause of stress and endless clutter. Her goal is to help people feel back in control of their home and running a business and raising 3 boys, she knows all too well how quickly a clean organized house can become a cluttered mess. Follow JLB Simplify on Facebook at JLB Simplify Home Organization and on Twitter at @JLB_Simplify. Use code GVNEWS when ordering the JLB Simplify 4-Step Organizing Booklet and save 50% at http:// www.jlbsimplify.com/shop.html.
Spring Break Day Trips
by Abie Groes, Student Writer Endless snow days have cut down spring break to just a threeday weekend. Three days is not nearly long enough for an extravagant trip, so here are just a few small trips you can take in and around Kansas City over your spring break weekend. Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s botanical garden in Kingsville, is only 28 minutes away from Grain Valley. Powell Gardens is open 7 days a week from 10:00am to 4:00pm. There is plenty for the entire family to do, including touring the gardens and exhibits, hiking the Byron Shutz Nature Trail, and visiting the beautiful Marjorie Powell Allen Chapel. After your tour, be sure to visit Cafe Thyme where they serve daily specials, homemade soups, and made to order
wraps and salads. Tickets are $10 for adults, $4 for youth ages 5-12, and $9 for seniors. Parking is free, and tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.powellgardens.org. Outdoor activities, including fishing, hiking, and camping, is another great option. Blue Springs Lake and Lake Jacomo are just 20 minutes away from Grain Valley and offer walking/biking trails, picnic areas, campgrounds, and plenty of room for boating and water sports. Longview Lake, in south Kansas City, is just 35 minutes from Grain Valley, offers campgrounds, 14 picnic shelters, and the Fred Arbanas Golf Course. For more information on Lake Jacomo, Blue Springs Lake, and Longview Lake, visit www.makeyourdayhere.com. If the weather forces you indoors,
Burr Oak Woods Hosts Free Naturescaping Workshop by Bill Graham, Missouri Department of Conservation
Native wildflowers, shrubs, and grasses originated in the woodlands and the prairies, but they can easily be adapted to urban landscaping uses for beauty, hardiness, and as havens for butterflies and birds. A free Naturescaping Workshop will be offered from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs. A native plant sale from 1:00pm to 4:00 p.m. will follow the workshop and is open
to the public on a walk-in basis. Native plants are adapted to Missouri’s climate and soils. With planning and some care, they can be attractive landscaping plants for lawns and gardens. Experts will help participants match plant species with planting locations according to sunlight or shade, soil types, and moisture requirements. They will talk about arrangements of plant types in landscaping, such as varied plant heights or bloom times. Songbirds and pollinators such as
butterflies and moths also benefit from native plants. The birds often feed on insects that use native plants as a food source, such as butterfly caterpillars. Adult butterflies and moths often feed on nectar from flowers. The Naturescaping Workshop is open to adults. Registration is required. Burr Oak Woods Nature Center is located at 1401 N.W. Park Road. All visitors are welcome to attend the afternoon native plant sale. Representatives from the Missouri
Wildflower Nursery and Green Thumb Nursery will offer plants for sale while supplies last. To register for the Naturescaping Workshop, visit MDC’s event signup pages at https://mdc.mo.gov/events-s3. For more information, call 816-2283766. Information about using native plants in landscaping is available at https:// mdc.mo.gov/trees-plants/native-plantrestoration.
