Thursday, January 27, 2011

Desk Update...Finally

This post is seriously overdue.  Here's how it went down.  Hubby finally sold a car so I had the extra dough I needed to buy the desk. I didn't waste a single second. On New Years morning I sent Hubby on a 1 1/2 hour road trip (one way) to Ikea.  I got a call two hours later that they didn't have the whole desk in stock.  But, lucky for me they had the bookshelf half.  So he loaded up the boxed and made the trek back home.  $13.50 in toll fees later, (I got the bill in the mail a week later) he was home before noon and I got started.

With a little helper....

That's the furniture fairy in case you were wondering.  We were truckin along with the miniature tools that are included with the hardware. I was taking a break ever row because my index finger was bright red and becoming a bit calloused. 



I was this far along when Hubby decided to bring me his man tools.  He actually had a an allen bit that fit into a ratchet.  If you don't know what a ratchet is, its better than a drill when putting together furniture, fyi.


And, of course, the last bolt doesn't want to line up with the pre-drilled holes.  We wrestled with it the rest of the evening.  The bookcase won. I went to bed and in the morning, with a recharged battery, I won. 

Are you ready for the semi-final pic.  I saw "semi" because we still don't have the actual horizontal desk surface yet.  But take a look at how fantastic the bookcase turned out!



I'm still playing around with the arrangement of all my stuff.  It will all change around once the desk is attached. 

I'm so happy I finally shared the office progress with you all.  Until next time, happy cleaning.

A.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

All was well, until...

The title gives it away. I had a fantastic post to offer up and while I was just finishing my chores something horrible happened.  The telescoping wand on my vacuum stopped telescoping. And after a horrible snapping noise I found a broken plastic ring inside. After I removed the ring I could hear the low whistle of air escaping.   I'll be googling replacement parts this evening as a new vacuum is is not in our future. 

The silver lining is that this leads me to another important topic.  Its almost spring time (I know you folks up North are saying "yeah right").  But down here in the South certain grasses and trees are producing pollen ahead of spring flower blooms.  We live way out in the middle of a bunch of fields and farms and the pollen is making its way straight into our bedroom.  So, you know I clean ALL the time.  That is no shocker to all of you who read this blog. But I was shocked today when I tried something new.

The other day the kids were watching Mick Mouse Clubhouse and they were talking about how looking at the same things from different perspectives can make those objects look different.  Well I had planned to clean the ceiling fans today because of all the dust that had accumulated on the blades.  Once up on the step ladder I saw everything from a new perspective!! There was SO MUCH dust.  I spent the day on that that ladder (thus the telescoping wand injury).  It reminded me to take in a different perspective every now and then.  

I hope you all have settled into the New Year. I found myself wondering when the salutations of "Happy New Year" would end. And here we are one week away from February and I don't hear them anymore. 
There is a desk update and I will be sharing that with you all very soon. 

Happy Cleaning!

A.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Tackling the Toys

I already had another topic planned for the first week of the new year. That one is still coming. But this past week three things inspired me to also tackle kid's rooms and closets.  First there was Christmas. When all was said and done, every present unwrapped and the living room looked like it had been ambushed using wrapping paper as artillery, I was the one left to find a home for everything new. 

The second inspiration was that a very good friend of mine is having a baby.  She is FABULOUS in every sense of the word. She has big plans for her new little munchkins closet. But while looking good, things have got to be accessible, functional and versatile. The amount of "stuff" that baby's need and use still makes my head whirl and I've had two.  But what really is dumbfounding is how fast their rooms need to change and evolve into toddler, preschool and then kid rooms.

The third inspiration was another very best bud, who has a gradeschooler, is about to move into their very first home (YAHHH!) And her son needs some toy organization.

My son's room is still pretty sparse as far as decor goes, buy toys we have aplenty.




This is how I keep small toys separated.  Each bin holds specific toys. There is a bin for cars, blocks, music instruments, lovies, animals .... you get the idea.  This is the "go to" area for the kids.  We used to have a toy box when my daughter was a toddler. But toys would fall into the abyss of the bottom of the box.  With this cleaver idea, everything is visible and accessible. 



That's one handsome man there.... I know it's hard not to look at that face but see the big dump truck in the corner?? I like that big toys like that can also become part of the decor. They don't need a designated space.



And here is the closet. It is so much more than just a place to hang some clothes.  Notice the three bars for clothing.  One high rail can allow you to put a larger item or even furniture below until the kids clothes get bigger.  And don't discount the idea of stacking two rails (see the right side of the closet). That makes for great shirt and shoe storage for the big kids.


This basket is where we keep bulky toys.  This basket was the largest of three nesting baskets.  The smaller ones house shoes and socks respectively. 



These cubbies in the middle of the closet were, by far, the smartest thing the previous owners built.  I love them.  We used to have a bookshelf in the kids' room that stored all these books.  And in these cubbies I had canvas bins that held everything from larger size clothing that the kids weren't in yet, to extra diapers and wipes.  I have since gotten a large dresser for my son and diapers and wipes have a home in the laundry room.  I gave the bookshelves away.  And VIOLA! new bookshelves.  The kids love to pick out bedtime stories now.

Don't feel like you need to hire a carpenter or add a line to a "honey-do" list.  In our previous home I achieved the same thing by purchasing these wire frame bins from Target.  


And below the books, front and center, we have large and frequently used toys.  While sometimes I feel like I'm going to start drooling on myself in a corner somewhere if I hear another song the toys sing, I think a worse feeling is the one I get thinking to myself how much money I spent on toys my kids don't play with.  Keeping toys minimized and highly visible allow the kids to see everything and play more easily.  Many times when kids aren't playing with their toys its because either they cant find all the pieces or they are overwhelmed with everything around them.  Simplify: you won't be the only one benefiting.

Until next time...which will be very soon.  Happy New Year Everyone! There's lots to do.

A.