I win!

Alex and I made a bet (of air apparently) that the bathroom would not stay in this state for two weeks.

Particularly the top photo. He figured that as I did laundry, it would again begin to accumulate on the counter top and very soon we'd be back to where we were before.

Did I show him or what?

Oh. Yeah. No photo. Ooops. But trust me, it looks pretty much like it did those pictures except maybe the drying clothing has changed. And the reason? It's a lot easier to fold the clothing right there, right off the rack, than to pile it up and do it all at once (and dig through the pile for a shirt or pair of pants that didn't get put away)

Dust is still an issue, but there's not as much...right now. We don't use the dryer all the time in the winter and I try to use it less in the summer...not only do the clothes smell better, fade less and generally last longer, it uses less electricity and doesn't add to the already too hot temperature of the house. We have two of those sturdy wooden racks and that means I can usually do two loads of laundry on a week night and four one a weekend day (in warm weather). In the winter, it's one load a night because it takes about a day and a half to dry...We're hoping to get a new washer and dryer in the fall - maybe an new, energy efficient one won't make as much dust??

And do you know what the unintended side effect of this was? The rest of my house has caught the stay clean bug. It's never really been that bad, overall, but the clean bathroom has inspired us to keep the kitchen tidier (hello, doing dishes every night...a clean kitchen in the morning is SO nice) and the dining room table clear.

J decided she wanted the shoes in the closet, so I helped her arrange the shoe rack so all our shoes would fit. She loves opening the door and getting the right pair of shoes for us when it's time to go out.

A much tidier house has made getting ready for work easier. The ease of getting ready for work means I get to work a little bit earlier which allows me a few minutes of alone time before that part of my day starts and that means I'm WAY more productive during the day. And that means I'm more relaxed when I go home, which means more fun stuff to do in the evenings with J. And I've been able to read a bit after J goes to bed and I still manage to go to bed earlier than I was. IT'S AWESOME being organized and I'm not even all the way there yet!

Hard to believe one tidy bathroom could have that much effect on my life! Thank goodness I found Laura's 52 weeks of organizing challenge. It gave me the kick in the pants that I needed!

Next up: the bedroom.