"The time is always right to do what is right." - Martin Luther King, Jr
Community Outreach
I wish you could have met Candice Myers. Mother of 6 boys and 1 spunky adorable 4-year-old little girl, wife of a husband who adores her. She was an incredibly talented artist, quilter, crafter, and I'm sure a million other things that I didn't even get to know about her. I met her not long before she passed away and could feel the love in her home. She had terminal cancer, and although she lived longer than the doctors predicted, she passed away in February 2021.
Candice and a friend prepared a bucket list of items she wanted to accomplish so she could #diewell. Through the months following her diagnosis, they got everything knocked off the list except for one: Candice wanted to leave her family with a neat, organized, and orderly home. Their house, with 7 children and different helpers constantly in and out, needed systems in order for the family to be able to function better.
The Gift of Organization
Enter Reset Your Nest! In January of 2021, we were so blessed to be asked to make Candice's final wish come true. In 24 hours we raised enough money and volunteers to TRANSFORM her home. Her entire kitchen, pantry, laundry room/mudroom, master bedroom closet and bathroom, kids' bedroom, medicine closet, and linen closet were transformed into spaces that now have systems, and have been designed to help her family function.
Laundry Room Organization
This laundry room was full of storage potential! But with such deep shelves and no system to speak of, things were hard to locate and this space wasn't serving this family of nine!
By grouping like things together, adding multipurpose bins, and labeling EVERYTHING, we were able to transform this space into something that will function so much better for this family.
Kitchen Organization
Because this kitchen has no upper cabinets, things collected on the countertops, making it hard to find a workspace or know where things were.
By clearing everything off, containing like things together, and putting them back with intention, these counters now have zones and plenty of clear working spaces.
It can be tricky to know how to best utilize deep shelves and pull-out shelving. We created systems based on the family's needs and put the most used items in the most prime locations.
Cooking items went on this top-shelf so as to be close to the stove. Paper goods and small appliances fit perfectly underneath. Surplus spices contained and labeled, as well as water bottles went up top, completely maximizing those deep shelves (not pictured).
This pantry was a small space to hold all the food for such a large family. We emptied everything out, corralled like things together, then contained and labeled everything. Items will be so much easier to find and use now.
Medicine Cabinet Organization
The medicine cupboard in anyone's home is important - you need to be able to get to what you want, right when you need it (cue the sudden headache or gash on child's leg that's bleeding). This cabinet had some organization happening already, so we just tidied it up, made sure everything would have a home, and then put it all in labeled matching acrylic containers that will pull out like drawers. So much easier to find what you want!
Little Girl's Bedroom Organization
Because of the large number of helpers that came and the number of spaces we were tackling, unfortunately, many projects went unphotographed. But we did grab an "after" photo of this adorable space in the girl's bedroom. Playtime is more fun and productive when there are systems and order!
Thank You To Our Reset Your Nest Community
There is so much I want to say about the angels who donated their time and money to make magic happen for this family. There is SO MUCH good. My goal for 2021 was to be part of a project like this and it happened in the second week of January!!
This experience served as a springboard to what I hope are many many more projects like it to come. Please check out the community page on www.resetyournest.com to see how you can participate in the next one! Whether you live locally and want to volunteer your time or want to donate money to make these projects possible when they arise, I will keep you updated on how you can get involved. There's also a place for you to nominate someone in need who could benefit from this service.
I am so grateful for this platform that allowed good people to connect in a cause to accomplish more than could ever be accomplished alone. Thank you for being here. I always believed that organizing could change how people lived in and enjoyed their homes, but doing this project for this family has helped me to see that organizing can help others LIVE their lives better as well.
Jen is the founder of Reset Your Nest, a Professional Home Organizing Business in Utah (servicing Salt Lake City, Park City, Ogden, Alpine, Highland, Mapleton, and St. George). She loves creating order and systems out of chaos and is known for bringing a beautiful aesthetic as well as easy to maintain function to any space. She shares her tips and tricks on Instagram @reset_your_nest.
