scroll down for links to each post from the 31 day series

I cannot BELIEVE that October is over. Tomorrow, November 1st, is literally the official first day of winter.  Well, not really but, doesn’t it seem like they have the seasons labeled all wrong?  Anyhow, today is the last day of our 31 day cruise through some ideas to help us get our homes a little less messy.  I in no way intended for anyone to do each day of the 31 days and by the end be the proud owner of a perfectly spotless home.

However, I do hope that by today we each have a less messy nest.  A little improvement.  A little less on our nerves, a little less guilt.

Each day our topic fell under one of two categories.   When you learn about saving money for the future, you figure out there are two ways to help the process.  You can spend less money and you can make more money.

It’s the same with having the goal of a less messy nest~there are two ways to get there::

1. You can learn methods and tips and tricks to help keep your home less messy.

2. You can lower your expectations and accept the fact that you will have messes and that each season of your family’s life will bring different kinds of beautiful messes.

I have no idea why just typing that last sentence brings tears to my eyes but, it does.  Most of what I’ve read about organizing and cleaning and stuff like that has always focused on what I need to change in my behavior to make my home better.  However, half of the message is that we just need to not be so hard on ourselves and bask in the total splendor of the life that we have.  And life is messy.

I love you all.  I love your beautiful messiness.

In case you missed any days here they all are.  You can click on the Less Messy Nest button on the side bar at any time and get to this page.

1. 31 Days To A Less Messy Nest

2. Square Not Round

3. Drawer Basket

4. Lunch Basket

5. Empty Tables

6. Gallery Wall

7. Laundry

8. Make Mine Pretty

9. Man Station

10. Simple Solutions for Everyday Issues

11. Group It

12. Hanging Clothes

13. Edit Much

14. Coffee Cabinet

15. Furniture

16. Bird Watching

17. Messy Organization

18. Lower Your Expectations

19. For the Right Reasons

20. Quit Apologizing

21. Enjoy the Beauty Marks

22. Accessories for People

23. A Review

24. The Floor is Not to Store

25. Don’t Put Stuff Where it Belongs

26. Enjoy the Seasons

28. Our Yard Sale

29. What’s Your Secret? {A Linky Party}

30. Change it Up :: Motivation to Clean

31. Today’s Post-Wrap Up

Lastly, I’ll end with a scene from one of my favorite movies, Life is Beautiful. In a big way, your life is what you make it.

Special thanks to my partners in 31 day crime Life With My 3 Boybarians, Reluctant Entertainer, The Inspired Room, Remodeling This Life, Chatting at the Sky, Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, My First Kitchen, it’s been so much fun to do this together!

Sometimes when I lack the motivation to straighten up my house, I’ll trick myself into wanting to clean.  Usually, all it takes is for me to see a little change that I like, then I want the whole room to look nice.  Like when I brought home a few pumpkins, put them in the family [...]

When I planned this series all last year, I knew I wanted to include a linky party where you could share your less messy tips and photos and thoughts.  I figured I’d talk about it off and on during my series so as to give you time to think about what you would post.  Yeah.  [...]

I realize photos of our yard sale don’t have much to do with making your nest less messy.  But, it has everything to do with making my nest less messy.  It was a beautiful day filled with beautiful people.  Women came from Myrtle Beach, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia, some drove 8 hours?!  I hope it [...]

Finally, just this year I stumbled onto a method of getting rid of stuff I don’t need that works for me. The house we are renting is large for us.  We have four bedrooms, a large bonus room and I even have my own office.  Space is not an issue, and it’s a fun change [...]