Frantic Cleaning Day - Before & After

Peace finally returns to this closet.  Now they can read in here if they like or Charlotte can work with different cubby "lessons" .Musical instruments in the white basket, counting in red, magnetic writing pad in one, Winnie the Pooh imaginary play (with a loadable truck), puzzle and shapes clock as well as her well, gun (she needs her sports).
So I woke up yesterday morning a woman with a mission. No more Mess! Nightly ritual of endless picking up of toys ended this day. Too much time had been wasted. Time I needed for many other important projects. I could not makeover my house in a day but I could start with the most troubling areas. Toys! The constant battle was getting old. It was me or them.  A lot were hand me downs from my nephew and very old, a lot had beautiful memories I had with Weien playing them, alas the baggage of sentimental values. Plus who knows, they might want to play with them when they are older. Yeah right.These were the reasons I lived with them for so long. Now, they are going into storage underneath the guest room bed.

Then the evil computer station at the breakfast nook that had caused so much anxiety over the years. I don't mean technology was evil, only when they create a mess. Their role was to enhance life not the opposite. I could not count the number of mornings I woke up, took one look at the station and got POed. It was like a big wire monster that robbed smiles and joy. As we added more and more technology, the monster grew bigger and bigger. He too, needed to go. So Mr Sanity could return. Maybe.

So for 12 hours, I sorted, cleaned,organized. I wished I was 20 years old. Cleaning massively was a massive undertaking. Lots of planning required. In order to move the clutter, they need to have a place to move to. Then, meet the devil of Details. It was easy to store something when you stacked them, but to store in a manner you can easily retrieve was a different story. Living in the rural with 4 seasons also meant we needed much more things because one simply could not afford to run to a store when you ran out of something. Then finally, the aesthetic value we deserved but usually did not prioritize. So as I turned my kitchen and breakfast nook into a junk yard, my daughter was exploring through like she landed on mars. But she still needed her meals, got cleaned and entertained occasionally.  I appreciated so much her ability to tip toe so she could "help" herself to  cookies when she was hungry. Babysitting and Cleaning was not a fun combination. But did I say come hell or high water? 

He promised with Him all things are possible. So I said my prayer before I started. Part faith, part naivety. Somehow, it managed to come together. Now, a messy closet is a calm hideout for them (intended, anyway) and I have a really nice lookout of the green and the scurrying squirrels and rabbits. And of course, the lovely birds.
I don't have the right matching furniture or accent pieces to create exactly what I want. But it will do for now.

C is for Christmas and for Calm.
So, if you did't get a Christmas Card from me, you know I have been cleaning.


Nerf Guns are hard to store but the boys' love. Like a bad woman, they can be a real pain. Some with straps I hung them up. This one is awkward shaped but I found this wooden box to be perfect to store it. It is so heavy now Charlotte cannot pull it off the top of the shelf and have it land on her head. Plus I can use the space for bullets
In time out for demanding to lock herself in the media room.

Really bored in time out - GOOD. That is the whole point.







How did this happened?

Yuck, Yuck, Yuck!

When I placed all the wires together, reality sets in

Oh Oh!

Now, Ah.......the farm table can hold everything on it. All wires bundled invidually and hidden in the underbed trunk behind the silk skirt. I bought this silk for my Mother in Law many years ago, didn't even know I hadn't given away. Left over silk, I really don't want to store it anymore, so I drape it to make a window effect. Will decorate more later.
showing it off one more time