Front Room Reveal! (Because that sounds like I’m a blog groupie)

Here you can see some of my hard work.  I like taking photos of things like closets.  And pantries.  And bookshelves.  (I actually have pictures of the pantry from our first apartment…I thought they looked so pretty all organized and I wanted to remember it…and I do remember it fondly and with contentment).

A few details to point out (especially since I do not have ‘before’ photos…well, I suppose we could count this as a before photo).

Rainbow books!  Previously our children’s library was organized according to subject.  But I was the only one who cared knew how to determine a book’s subject and hence, where it belonged.  Which meant lots of shelving for Mommy.

But now!  I took a deep breath and organized them by color.  So not only is it pretty, everyone in the family can reshelve their own books.  Even if Levi thinks everything is blue or yellow.  (His board books are not sorted by color, they are on their own shelf.  And Lia’s early reader books …which she is diving into right now HOORAY!…are also exempt from the color method.)

I tried to convince Devo to organize the books in his new office (whenever it materializes) by the rainbow method.  Apparently I missed the mark on that one…he exhibited a definite lack of enthusiasm.  Haha.

Craft cupboard.  Not a lot of changes here, but a little cleaning out and reorganizing (and the addition of 14 inches of scrap paper).

Memorabilia Boxes!  I talked about these yesterday.  The white boxes at the top of the bookshelf are Kassatt from IKEA. They are not of the sturdiest construction, but their only requirement is to sit there and hold stuff (no handling or moving!), so I think they’ll last quite a while.

A desk in the closet.  When we emptied and moved out those six file drawers, suddenly the closet had so much space!  So we took off the  closet doors and moved my desk out of the dining room and into the closet.  If we weren’t renting, I’d paint the inside of the closet some nifty color (oh, the painting we’d do in this house!).  But for now, I’ll save those pennies for something we can take along with us if the day ever arrives when we actually buy a house.

Everyone take a good look at that old, decrepit computer.  I’m about ready to consign it to The Pit.  If you know what I mean.

Devo and I have begun doing all of our computer work/play in the front room.  I’ve been wanting both of us to limit our computer usage during the day and it’s been pretty effective so far.  Being that you have to remove the bungee cord to get in to the room, it definitely makes me remember that I’m aiming for only (or, mainly) getting on the computer first thing in the morning and then after the kids go to bed.  (Unless I need a recipe, or something equally important, of course).

It also makes us realize that we are, in effect, leaving the family when we sit down in front of the computer.

Labels on the toy baskets.  I finally put labels on the toy baskets (and on the room baskets).  Now all literate members of the household can easily find where to put toys away.  The only toys that do not belong in this room are the dolls and doll clothes, and the kitchen and kitchen toys (which are upstairs in the loft/sewing/guest room).

And there’s the typewriter!  We love that thing.  Need to order a new (what is it called?) ink tape thingy.

Music bookshelf.  Behind the blue chair resides all the music.  Books and CDs.  Someday, when we’re all older, I’d love to have this next to the piano…makes sense, you know.  (My music ed methods books are being relocated to a box in the garage with my college notes and papers…just in case I ever actually teach music in a school).

And here’s the other side of the room.  I resisted the urge to straighten all the books for this photo, as you can plainly see.

Family portraits.  The three square frames have our family portraits, as depicted by the three children.  I love them.

Paperback resolve.  I love to read novels, and have about three shelves of paperbacks that I read and re-read and then read a couple more times.  They’re ugly.  Bedraggled, torn, crinkled…they’re paperbacks.  (Hardbacks are so much more aesthetically pleasing…but sooo heavy.)  I never like the way my paperbacks look on a shelf…the only thing that satisfies me is that so many of them are the same size and they line up nicely.

So this week I made a resolution for our future house.  I will install a shelf for these books at the top of my closet where my ugly paperbacks will be rendered innocuous…but easily accessible.  Do you think their feelings will be hurt?

When I think that these shelves used to be packed with books, some shelves with two layers of books, and no boxes or baskets or space or trinkets peeking out…. this is looking pretty good.  Certainly much better.

And now I think it’s time to try and stop.  I didn’t sleep very well last night…I kept having fidgety half-thoughts about cleaning out this or organizing that or getting rid of something else.  Time to stop and do some basking, me thinks.

(And as I write that, I think of the four baskets upstairs that have no home, and the unsatisfactory containment of the ‘scrapbag’ pieces under my sewing table.  The question is, if I go upstairs right now and figure that stuff out, will I be at peace?  Or will I come back downstairs and realize that Levi has peeled a bunch of paint off of the TV cabinet and need to do something about that, too. … Yes, I think basking is a better idea.  For tonight, at least.)

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