I feel like I hit my stride last week. This time around, I didn't follow directions as closely, but I didn't slack off. With a push from the January Cure, I completed some more painting, organizing, and cleaning.

Day 14: Get Papers and Files in Order.
Instead of bogging myself down with papers, which for me is more of a weekend task, I painted. Two more walls saw their last days of being antique white, and now they're a nice clean backdrop for the family photo gallery wall I've been working on (see above). A full before & after will come once I've finalized the frame arrangements and ordered all the prints.

Day 15: Exercise a Little Cord Control.
I gave this one some thought but no action.

Day 16: Give Your Bathroom & Medicine Cabinets a Cleanout.
I had organized my bathroom drawers fairly recently, so I thought I wouldn't have too much work. Ha!

I threw out a lot of expired medicine and put some toiletry bags, samples, and perfume in my outbox. I reorganized the drawers using small cardboard boxes. They aren't fancy, but they were free. I also labeled the tops of my meds with a Sharpie, so that from above I can see what's ibuprofen and what's Tylenol. Underneath the sink, I brought in a basket I already had to hold towels, put all my chargers and wired things in a tin box, and stacked extra toilet paper in what is technically a bread basket.

Day 17: Take a look at your living room lighting.
I'm happy with the lighting in my TV room, where I've aimed for cave-like darkness, but my sitting room is another story. I want to add a light source — I'm thinking a minimal floor lamp — to the left of this chair and side table. I strongly considered buying this lamp, but the dimensions aren't right.

Day 18: Weekend Chores: Flowers, Living Room, Empty Your Outbox.
The first thing worth mentioning here is that my coffee table has stayed clear of clutter, which was on my to-do list. I accomplished this by incorporating clearing it into my daily routine, by keeping mail elsewhere, and by not eating dinner in front of the TV. This weekend I gave the table a cleaning, since the smudges and dust are one drawback of its glassy goodness. I topped it off with a bouquet of grocery store yellow tulips.

I had filled my single outbox bag quickly and ended up using two additional bags and a purse to hold all the clothes, shoes, and miscellany that accumulated. I ended up keeping only two things, a secondhand Orla Kiely jacket (it's kinda big, but c'mon) and some sweatpants. I donated everything else to my work, which will distribute it all for free to refugee families in and around Baltimore.

MORE OF KIM'S JANUARY CURE:
• Week One
• Week Two
• Week Three

(Images: Kim Rinehimer)