May 6, 2010

Pick your Battles

There is one war I tend to avoid. I can't take the carnage, you know? 

And I hesitate slightly to show pictures of this gruesome state of affairs lest you all judge me harshly. But with so much going on, a girl's gotta pick her battles!

Since we have family coming in this weekend, we are in need of the basement so the war had to end.

So I came,

I fought,

I conquered.




As I wiped the sweat from my brow, content with the scene before me, I began to reflect upon what I saw.

Now, I've always called this "poor man's storage". But according to all the design and craft blogs, this is what is known as "repurposing".

Okay, so granted I didn't paint it all cute but there are six diaper boxes that I have covered in cute paper and ribbon that are used as storage containers in other rooms of the house. And this was done WWAAYYY before I started seeing it pop up all over the blogosphere.

Apparently I'm way ahead of my time and very fashionable.

Now, if I start seeing ideas for how to make ghetto closet shelves out of an old crib, I'll have to start to wonder....

At any rate, there are still several diaper boxes available if any of you would like to... repurpose.

And ever since I've cleaned up, guess where the kids are playing and spending all their time? Perhaps I should have waited until the day my parents are suppose to be here.

*sigh* Cleaning is a double edge sword.

30 super cool people speak:

Charlotte said...

Serene, you are not alone. This should make you feel better. I, too, have play area that looks a little disastrous from time to time (okay, more often than not)that has to be cleaned whenever company is coming.

I avoid that battle as long as possible because it is a war I may never win.

Neisha said...

i think all mom's have play rooms that look like that. But wow! Quite a change afterwards :)

Kristine Mullen said...

You're not alone. That's what my girls room looks like. We don't have a play room, so it's all in their bedroom (and there's 4 of them in a very small room). Do I dare ask how long that took? I need to know what I'm up against. LOL BTW, the end result is amazing!

Scrappy Girl said...

Holy cow! That looked like ToysRUs exploded! LOL! I bet they have a blast playing! My kids used to love to use those boxes to play in.

Anonymous said...

Looks amazing! Good job. And way to be resourceful with your repurposing!

Jocelyn Christensen said...

Nice! I love poor man's storage!

Amy said...

Awesome job! I gotta get in the mood to tackle jobs like that but once I'm in, I'm in it for real.

Welcome to the Garden of Egan said...

Amazing! What a change in space.

You shouldn't have cleaned it at all.
Now all they'll want to do is mess it up.
Awesome work.
I think you must use a lot of diapers.

TEAM LINDSAY said...

Thanks for the inspiration - I have to move my son down to the guest bedroom this month since we need the nursery for baby #2, and your repurposed boxes AND ghetto shelf have given me some great ideas for getting organized!

bingham 5 said...

I would have just done a big DI dump - I hate stuff!

Kristina P. said...

Good for you! It probably feels so good!

Susan Anderson said...

The whirlwind has long since departed my house, but i remember it well. Some days it was more like a tornado. Or an earthquake! I even wrote a poem about it once:

Natural Disaster

©1981 by Susan Noyes Anderson

The house was resting on a slant
(perhaps a cracked foundation).
Inside a scene of chaos
and total devastation.

No glassware left unbroken.
No table left unturned.
Dinner was in the oven,
but it had long since burned.

A woman sat bewildered
amidst all this confusion.
Her eyes were glazed and staring
as if at an illusion.

What catastrophic fate had pushed
this woman’s world asunder?
An earthquake? A tornado? … Nope!
five children, six and under.

(Can ya feel me?)

heehee

Sara Lyn said...

You haven't lost your touch. :)

Cluttered Brain said...

WOW!
That looks amazing--the after part.

It makes me feel VERY proud when I clean the kitchen of a kids bedroom.

So where are the kids spending their time?
Their bedrooms? Messing it up? ;)

Love ya Serene. Have a good weekend.

Lisa said...

You know, the sad thing is, it will be right back to the before picture in moments. But hey, at least you took pictures, so you can prove it when the inlaws get there. That was impressive that it only took up one corner of the room. My kids were able to spread it throughout 2,000 sq. feet of basement.

Wonder Woman said...

Way to go!!!! And I don't know what it is. Dirty rooms never get played in. Clean areas (and made beds) seem to SCREAM for someone to play there.

~Sister Vance~ said...

You repurposed the heck out of that basement! Now don't be sad when it looks like that first pick in a matter of minutes.

See Mom Smile said...

Okay I just realized my daughter was signed into Google. So that Cassidy comment was from me. Kids.....grrrrr.

Pitterle Postings said...

Oh how I wish you could come to my house! We DON'T have a basement, so the mess is in their rooms. I need about 3 months to get it cleaned up! I don't think I am brave enough to do the before pics. Your after pics are amazing! did you ever wonder how it is that we collect so much "stuff". I swear it multiplies in the middle of the night!

Lindsey Buck said...

Oh man, I really need to figure out some of those organization skills that you seem to be very prevalent at. I simply do not have enough room for all of my junk.

Sarah Larsen said...

My unfinished basement looks 20 times worse than that. I promise. I was going to document my "re-do" but haven't even attempted it yet.

P.S. Can I take you up on those diaper boxes.

P.P.S. You ARE fashionable.

Cheeseboy said...

Yeah, that's right! You showed that basement who's boss!

ldsjaneite said...

Some call it "going green." Honestly, I'd rather use diaper boxes--at the library, we use liquor boxes. Scads of them. For those in the children's room, I am relieved to say that we have been covering them with paper, too.

Good job. I do love cleaning because of the conquering feel I get at the end.

Saimi said...

You did it, you fought the battle and won!!! Congratulations! After posting the before pictures, your guest should really appreciate what you did for them!

Braden Bell said...

Way to go, Serene. You were tough and you conquered. But, seeing the picture of your basement elicited a huge reaction. We had an unfinished basement growing up and it was the scene of a lot of plays, roller derbys, forts, battles, we even roller skated there in the winter. I can still smell it and feel the rough concrete under my roller skate wheels. Seeing those pictures brought a rush of memories back of my siblings and long, wonderful afternoons. Your kids are really lucky!

mCat said...

You are fantastic! I would have loaded it all in the dumpster and told the kids too bad..... but I'm mean like that.

I like your re-purposing!

Teachinfourth said...

I'd have just set the pile on fire hand have been done with it…

You are a trooper, or perhaps a glutton for punishment.

Krista said...

I kinda do that but with laundry baskets. But then comes laundry day and time to .... unload. I use a great line on my kids when they don't want to pick up their toys: "That's okay. I don't mind. Just pick up the ones you want to keep and I'll get rid of the ones you don't want to keep." Works everytime and I didn't even have to yell!

Mama Smith said...

Sarah...You know us...You didn't need to "clean up"...We would have felt "right at home"...(smile)

Gina said...

This makes me feel tons better! I post pictures of my kids' messes, thinking that they are normal, but then my sister is shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you, at the mess I deal with. I am SO relieved to see that somebody else's playroom looks exactly like mine. Except mine is smaller. So it looks a little worse. But the idea is the same!

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