help needed

Before I post my normal nonsense, I have to share what my precious Bruiser just said to me. 

Right now.  This very moment.  My hands perched upon the keyboard.  He whispered to me.

"Mom, tomorrow can we clean out my top drawer?  It's full.  And I need to clean it out."

Perfect segway to today's topic.

My precious Bruiser also just came in, sucked in his cheeks {the cheeks on his face}, and inhaled.  Causing a toot-like noise.

That is not part of today's topic.

Although I could write a book about ways to make tooting noises.

This boy melts my heart.  He just brushed his teeth.  And then came in to remind me not to forget about cleaning out his drawer tomorrow.  And then he kissed my bare arm.  *melting heart*

That boy gets me every time. 

And on to today's topic.................

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I've said it before, I'll say it again.  Just in case you're new to the ole blog.  Are you ready?  Wait for it....wait for it.  Ok.

I am not an organized person.

*insert shock and awe noises*

It does not come naturally to me.  I crave it.  I love it.  {within boundaries....in other words, I don't want a list of lists I need to make.  Ya hear me, RJ?} *grin*  But I have to work at it.

Perhaps that's why I was so proud of myself for cleaning out and organizing closets a couple of weeks ago. 

I wish now that I had taken before pictures.  But, in all honesty, I had no idea the day I started this that it would lead to such an overhaul.

I had to start in my closet with one enormous heap of hand-me-down clothes.  The boys had to try on, toss, pick, smell, pull, smell again.....  Then we went to their closet and did the same. 

This is the boys' shared closet.  The right side is Bubba's.  The left is Bruiser's.  In the middle of the floor they each have a shoe bucket.  The plastic drawers hold all their shorts and swimming trunks.

I had no real intention of using the plastic drawers.  They have a chest in their room that holds jammies, boxers, underwear, socks, jeans, pants, etc.  But since they still use all of those even in the summer I just put the Rubbermaid drawers in there.

Now, here's the key to MY organization:  R-U-B-B-E-R-M-A-I-D.  Buy stock in it.  Seriously.  Cuz I just flat love the stuff.  In a big way.  See all the toys on the shelves?  Yep.  Rubbermaid.

Ok, so usually Sterilite...the cheap brand...but sometimes generic just doesn't cut it.  But most of the time it does. *wink*

Their closet wasn't really bad.  It just needed the seasonal change around.  And some sprucing up.

The play/craft room needed some work.  I re-divided toys, moved more things out of the boys' closet and under the table, and weeded out.

My area was the worst.  Because remember:  I'm not an organized person. 

Disclaimer: 
I'm looking for a new chair.
All the junk underneath actually looks better now.  (various projects were in the works)
The white cabinet next to the table is a future craft project itself.
Don't judge. *wink*

I hate all the cords.  And if I were a true perfectionist {*snort*} I would've hidden all those for the photo opps.

I seriously hope y'all know me better than that.  You get REAL LIFE here on my blog.  *grin*

Yes, two lamps.  Is that weird???  One was simply not enough light.

Have I ever mentioned that I hate loathe despise and abominate overhead lighting?

My sewing machine has not been touched since we moved in.

That's another downfall to my lack of organizational skills.  If things aren't organized and clean, I can't function.  I can't create.  And all my free time gets devoted to trying to get us there.  Trying to get to that point where I can stop, take a moment for myself, and work on a craft project.

We're not there yet.

Does anyone else love spools of ribbon as much as I????  The colors.  The patterns.  *sigh*

This room was finished 2 weeks ago.  I'm proud to announce it still looks exactly the same.  Well, except I straighened up the mess under the table.

And seriously, if someone hits Ikea anytime soon....I need a chair.  Pretty please???

Moving on to Doh Doh's closet.  I had serious work to do in here.  Lots of outgrown clothes.  Lots of new clothes to hang.  Lots of shoes to sort through.

At the old house I started painting this bookshelf.  (Which, by the way, was my Grandmother's.  And then mine in college.  Sentimental value = I can't chunk it.)  But I never finished it.  (Are you sensing a pattern here??)  Only this time it's a good thing.  Because the color of the bookshelf happens to be the color of her closet/room.  So I need to repaint.

I organized all the books.  Put those too big for the small shelves into a plastic tub ($1 bin @ Target!!!).  And put a couple of toys on top....that she now wants to play with ALL THE TIME.  Funny, ain't it?  (Any Parent Trap fans out there?  The old school Hayley Mills version.)

The reading corner.  My boys have never been big readers.  (Although Bubba has recently become one!!  YAY!!!)  But I'm really hoping Doh Doh will love to read.  Like her Momma.  So I'm hoping this little corner gets lots of use.

I hang up the majority of her clothes.  Except jammies.  And shorts.  So I'm kinda persnickety about how -- and where -- her things go.  Guess I have some organizational tendencies after all.

Soooo, are you under-whelmed?  Not impressed?  Wish I had taken before shots?

Just wait til I get to my closet.  It ain't purty, folks.  It doubles as our storm shelter.  And with all these storms my closet is littered with bike helmets, extra shoes, blankets, keepsake items, etc.

It'll definitely be a before/after picture-post.  But I'm not promising to share the before pics. *grin*

So, what do you do with your kids shoes?  I used to line them up in pairs.  When we moved I ditched it and went to the bucket system.  I heart it.  inabigway