From the Dungeon, Part Two

I'm too tired for words.

In order to work on this:


I had to spend the day here:

Do you get the feeling we just toss things down the stairs and deal with them later? Both kids were on camping trips this weekend. Boy, was I glad the laundry room was clean!

This is the area to the right of the stairs.


Now it's a much more pleasant place to work out!



Here is the area to the left of the stairs.



Now, I can start spray painting!



Hooray.

Hybrid Cure: Living Room progress?

I am, I must confess, procrastinating steam cleaning my couch.

The way things are, right now.

So,

I've washed the inside glass of the windows and the window frames.
I've vacuumed the window screens.
I've vacuumed the lampshades.
I've vacuumed the couch, the chair and the floor.
I even pulled out the piano and vacuumed in behind it. Ugh.
I've vacuumed the rug. Twice.
I've washed down the ottoman.
I've opened the ottoman and sorted the contents into 1) wash and keep and 2) wash and give away.
I've washed the television screen.
I've washed the piano.
I've washed the small table that lives in between the two chairs.

Ugh.

I really have to do it now, don't I?

Landing Strip: Show and Tell

I love the idea of a landing strip. Love it.

I used to have one, too. In the front hallway, I put a small cabinet (12" deep)in the hallway, a bowl on the top for loose change, a plate for mail, a couple of baskets on its shelves and called it good.

Then we got a dog. He took the hats, mitts and scarves (or hats, sidewalk chalk and sunglasses) out of the basket and chewed them. Shoes (and boots) had to be lifted out of the way and put on the cabinet.

And so we have this:



(and no, that's not a bullet hole in the wall. Last fall I took down a big, heavy framed poster and told the hubby we needed to take a box cutter and cut off the lips of the wall anchors before we puttied and repainted. He disagreed: and by way of proof, he just yanked the anchor out of the plasterboard. Leaving proof, of course, that I was right. It may be like this for a little while longer yet!)

I need something entirely different and have for a few years, unfortunately. It may take me a while to figure it out--probably by the time the puppy grows out of the dog!

Creating a Vision for my Home

Yes, here we are again.
Why?

Because I still live here! We still bring things in, we need to take more stuff out. Priorities change. Interests change. Our lives change. And the house should keep up!

In the past, I've focused on aesthetics. Having the right look was very important to me. Function, while important, was secondary. I'm hoping that this Spring, I will find a happy, liveable balance between the two.

I want to give the house a thorough clean and declutter--as always. And I am way, way behind without the ability to move quickly to catch up.

And so, we must begin at the beginning: with a goal and a vision.

The Goal: to live joyfully with my family in a functional, calming and cheerfully decorated home with only those things in it which we love or use (and preferably both).

The Vision: