I posted a couple weeks ago about the
31 Days to Cheaply Organize Your Home. I feel like I constantly live in disorganization. When a friend mentioned recently that I spoke nonchalantly about a possible upcoming move, I thought about how many houses I have lived in during my thirty-four years. Due to a crazy childhood and then marrying a military man, I can recall thirty-two homes. Is it any wonder I struggle with getting settled in, organizing, and having a household routine? Certainly, not skills I learned growing up. Often we moved very quickly, leaving so many things behind. I wonder if that has not contributed to my urge to just throw everything away, or burn the house down (haha!), and start over when I feel overwhelmed.
With moving often as a military famiy, I've also just pieced together furniture. Who wants to invest in very nice stuff when it just gets dinged up? The older I get, the more I long for matching furniture, an organized home; a home I can settle into and actually decorate because I'm staying there, not planning yet another move. I'm so very tired of being a wanderer in this life. I want to find a resting place....home, sweet home.
I think I've done better over the years, but still have much to learn about managing housekeeping. I admit it. Things get cluttery. So, I'm determined not just in this 31 days, but to really learn how to organize a home, organize my life more. I haven't followed these 31 days in all things and areas, but am progressing. I tackled a big, daunting project for me.
Remember this....
We had a nasty water leak, which included tearing out walls and subflooring. Then as we needed another bedroom, my husband thought this was a great place to put a little one for our oldest son. But, it's just a space walled in, and the bathroom still has only a sink and toilet, no tub, with plywood up for walls until we finish this job. It's been months, but my husband retires from active duty in May, and until he has another job lined up, investing in finishing these projects isn't happening. I don't mind the construction so much, just the chaos it created. Things were thrown into boxes and piles and shoved aside. Just thinking about tackling all this was overwhelming. Yikes!
But, I finally did....
Tada!!! My new sewing area. I had some leftover white paint in the garage. The paneling will eventually be pulled down, but it was looking so dingy. I hated the yellow, it needed cleaned up, and the walls had been colored on by three different kids, including one of my own. So, with the help of my daughter, we pulled everything out and I slapped a couple quick coats of white on the walls. At least, I feel like it is clean and fresh, around all the construction stuff.
I had Russ's grandma's hutch in the back corner, but took the top off. It will work as an ironing space, so I don't have to set up my ironing board when I sew, which is always taking up more room and I'm nervous when the little boys are around me, that they will bump it and an iron will fall on them. Problem solved. Yay! The table is large enough to have my rotary cutting mat, my sewing machine, and then have my ironing area set up. A functional set up. Yay again!
I tried to pretty up my mess some. I had this old shelf up in storage. Russ hung it for me and I glued some lace on the edges. The basket in the top right, made by my mom, holds the rest of my civil war blocks. Oh, as you see I hung flannel on the wall for a design wall. It's not very big, and obviously not meant for my large civil war blocks. I just hung them to motivate me right now and I think they are pretty! I am determined to finish this quilt. I do love it!
I also had this old wire shelf in storage. Since I lost some shelf space removing the top of the hutch, adding these couple of shelves helped so much. I want to hang a pocket organizer on the wall below it. I have one that I made for my husband to hang on his bed when he deployed to Afghanistan. It has appliques of the kids handprints. I just have to get a way to hang it.
A close up of my ironing station. Russ made the board for me. It has a couple layers of insul-brite and then he stapled the fabric I gave him to it. I can't tell you how much I love using this instead of the ironing board. I used it recently while working on my mini-quilts and it's perfect for quilt blocks! Perfect! I'd like to make an iron cover for the iron.
Here is a quick glance at the rest of the room. I painted the paneling and plywood white as well here. It cleaned it up and isn't such an eyesore. I'm not going for great decor here, just trying to have things look a bit cleaner and neater and not so depressing to me. Maybe I'll put up a couple things on the wall. Oh, and the top to the hutch isn't staying there. Just too heavy for my daughter and I to carry up the stairs, so will have Russ help me when he has time.
I took all my other bookshelves up to our storage room above our carport. That room was a disaster and we recently organized it. Hauled off a couple truck loads of stuff to thrift and throw out. Anyhow, most of my books, with homeschooling I accumulate a lot, are up in storage now. I have narrowed it down to these shelves inside and if we need another book, we can run up and get it. Oh, so nice! Makes me happy!
I feel a great sense of relief and a burden lifted! Whew....
