Where have I been?!

Under a pile of junk, not to mention busy-ness! Where has everyone else been?! Here is one of the many projects I have been doing. This is my toy area in our family room. It's small and perfect for keeping some of the toys on the main level while most of the toys live down stairs. (That one should be fun to tackle.)

I dove into this project without taking a BEFORE pic so I thought I'd get my inner kindergartner on the job and draw up the chaotic mess that it was so you can really appreciate the AFTER photo. Before taking a peek, (and not wanting to ruin the impact by words in between the photos) I'll just tell you how I did a few things.

First, was to figure out how to fix my cabinets so they didn't look like cheap $5 yard sale furniture, but more like the $150+ that I did pay for them. I purchased 2 nuts and bolts and drilled 2 holes into to connect the cabinets to one another. For added security, I also glued all the cabinets together using E-6000 and clamps. (I l-o-v-e E-6000!) I also used the glue-like stuff to attach the door back onto the hinge. Woot! Voila! A cabinet that looks like it cost more than $20. :)

The organizing is pretty self explanatory. I simply went through everything. Purged what my kids don't play with and found homes in our home for the toys that were either too big for the space or not used as much.

I'm pretty proud of these results. It's the simple changes that don't cost a lot that make me the happiest. Hope you enjoy my art work as much as I do. (Both the actual make-over and the fancy drawing. :D)

......

I wrote this in a comment to one of your posts Cam but I'll say it here....although it's a little irrelevent now. I have to pack and move my mom all weekend so I won't be able to do anything until next week.


...Now it's "next week" so I can get to work. I did however have time to organize my toy bins in the family room on Saturday and goodwilled some of the toys and also glued and screwed the cubbies together so they'd stop looking like a piece of junk set and start looking a bit more like the $120+ dollars I spent for them. ;) I'll post "after" pics since I didn't get "before" ones.

And yes, I'm still here plugging along. I'm still in this. There's no way I'm ditching you OR ME on this. I'll post more on this subject soon.

Hello?!?!? Is anybody out there?

I have noticed not a lot of posting has been done and was wondering if we all are still in this together.

Toy room and Hallway ... CHECK! Oh and Hayden's Bathroom....

I don't have before pictures of the hallway or bathroom, because well you couldn't get into them.  The hall was packed with crap, as Summer can attest, and Hayden's bathroom was so gross I wouldn't let him use it (David has taken it over so I left it for him to destroy).

But without further ado here are the toy room befores:

And here are the afters:

Kitchen / Family Room

 There are a few things that I am getting rid of....Summer is taking her shoe things back and the stuff stacked on my new show rack are going to the DI....I just don't want them to get broken in the mean time.

Might get rid of the eyesore on the couch too....LOL  kidding xoxo babe.

Craft Room / Study

 Before:

 

 

 

 

I never took photos of the metal shelves, but Summer saw them.

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 And After:

Pardon the DI pile under the desk but I needed to vacuum.

Making sense of it all!

Summer and I were talking the other day. Starting on my computer desk area was GREAT and I really needed to do it (obviously) but ohw could I leave the rest of that one room un-done and move on to day 3? So... my days will not be in order! I worked on my living area (same room as the computer desk) and have been working on it since a couple days ago. Again, we live here... sorting baby clothes that are too small, watching TV, etc... so It really needed an upgrade. I thought I would post some "before" pictures- and I am still working on getting it done- it's a lot of digging out.

A friend of mine told me Friday she had seen this blog- because I posted it on Facebook to share with my friends. I realized something HUGE that night. Think about this, if you are my friend... when is the last time I invited you in to my home? I have been living, surrounded in a mess, for years- and have been afraid to let anyone in! (If you've seen it, you are one of very few.) I know self-esteem doesn't come from an outside source (ie a clean home). I have felt so poorly about myself that I have let things pile up, one on top of another... until I don't want to share my home with friends or family... and I have to admit I have been through a lot of depression over it. I truly haven't felt like I was worth the effort of cleaning out my house- or losing my weight. It's really, really difficult for me to admit that's where I am in life- and to ask for help. I don't have complete motivation to do it on my own yet... but every day I am making progress. It may sound like a silly thing to someone else- but my motivation to finish my living room and then the kitchen is this: I want to bake teething biscuits for my little Walter. I will not allow myself to do it until the areas are both clean... so I better get started!!!!!





And so it continues!

Checklist

Here are the days I am done with.
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,12,13,15,17,18,19,20.
Here are some before and after pictures.  More pictures will come later.

5 Above covers desk, keepsakes and mail....UGH but wait til you see afters.

Before - top of dresser.

Random Cupboard after

Tupperware After

Medicine After

3 Pantry Before