Dungeon of Crap

We wanted two things in our new house, a garage and a basement. Our little house on the prairie lacked storage. Clean dry storage. Our new house has both. While we were moving in, we would often reference, "You can just put that in the basement for now." Handy Man and I would catch a glimmer in each others eye from across the room and smile. It feels amazing to be new home owners, to have worked hard in order to provide a new home for our family. A home that possesses our wants and desires. 

Unfortunately, the easy of that phrase is haunting me. It was so easy to recite when I didn't feel like addressing certain tubs or boxes in the moment. Now the day has come. The day of reckoning with the pass over belongings that we shoved behind a closed door, in the basement. 

We are expecting our first house guests in two weeks and we need to get the toys under control, the storage room organized. Find the guest sheets.

Our basement currently looked like this...

Oh. My. Toys.

Toys and crap everywhere.

The storage room looked like this...

 And this...

I couldn't tell you where anything was if I tried. I do know that pink tub has my BC (before children) clothes in there. Someday... 

Other than that?!?! Not a clue.

Sunday, I rose with the sun. I prayed for strength, motivation, and stamina. I was ready to organize the dungeon of crap!

Handy Man asked me to pull everything at least a foot off the back wall so he could frame and insulate the concrete walls (someday) and work in there with ease. No problem - right?!?!

A fresh cup of coffee, tunes playing in the background and we were I was organizing. 

Any kind of project like this and you know it has to get a lot worse before it ever gets better. Boji asked me what the hell I was doing appeared to lack a little faith in me as I hauled more and more crap out into the play room.

Believe it or not, after four hours this was progress. The tubs with the white lids were sorted, labeled and strategically stacked. Everything to the left... working on it.

We have another unfinished space in the basement. It took everything in my power of self control not to start delegating some items in this room.

But some day that wall is coming down and we will be adding a 4th bedroom there. Someday in the near future I think (hope).

I held off on the boxes in the corner for last. They contain all of my china and fancy dishes I wanted  we got when we were married. Of course we have never used them...

Making progress!

Plenty of work room for my Handy Man to insulate these walls. I am getting excited!

Seven hours into my day and the storage room was done... for the most part.

Okay I know it doesn't 'look' a whole lot different but I promise you every tub is labeled and stacked neatly. I could tell you where to find anything. Just ask me. I even created an island of crap. Easy accessibility.

By Christmas, I will still be able to easily access all of my 8+ tubs of decorations!

See... Christmas to the left and BC clothes in the pink tubs to the right. It's kind of like a beautiful maze of crap now. 

Then just as I began to feel victory ooze though my body and was about to do a cartwheel (yeah right), I walked back into the toy room and was reminded of this...

So help me the next person that buys either one of my children a toy...

I started this project at 7:00 am and worked until 5:00 pm. By 5:00 pm, I was dog tired. I hate plastic tubs. I hate boxes. I hate moving. I hate toys. I hate tiny little puzzle pieces and Barbie shoes. 

Do you know how hard it is to sort toys when your four year old and 19 month old wake up from their naps and want to come see what you are doing? And Handy Man has called it a day and is watching the Super Bowl Playoffs at peace, up stairs, all alone, stretched out on the recliner...

I like wine...

But I am a woman of drive and motivation. (actually I just couldn't possibly imagine spending another day on this basement. I just HAD to get it done.)

There are still a lot of toys and stuff around, but by 5:00 pm I just had to remind myself over and over - this is a play room.

After ten hours on the job... it will work.

PS have I told you I am never moving again - ever?