Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Laboring on Labor Day...Well Kind Of

For the past couple of days and nights Rondell and I have worked really hard to get our basement clean and organized. There was a lot of sweat, sneezing, jumping (from the spiders) and laughter. We are so happy to have it done overall, even though there are a few things that need to be tweaked.

Beware...picture overload!

Here's the before. There was stuff EVERYWHERE! Since we've lived in this house the basement has just kind of become a dumping ground. It was out of control and a major tackle.

Here's an after (for the most part) picture. You can actually see the floor! It is amazing.

First we tackled this section under the stairs. There was all kinds of stuff under here...light bulbs, floor tile, boxes... We cleaned it out and decided to put boxes that we want to keep in this space. Right above it is Rondell's shelf. I love my husband, but man does he have a lot of stuff. So, this allows him to have a space for his stuff (notice, it's a limited space...hee, hee).

This is what will eventually be my beautiful craft area. We basically just put all things craft on this table and Rondell moved a bookshelf next to it so that I can have space for my growing hobby. It's not my dream space, but it's mine! Wait, maybe it's me that has a lot of stuff and not Rondell...nah!

This is stuff that we're going to donate (you can also see the shelf that Rondell moved next to my craft table). We put more stuff there after I took this picture but basically we needed an area to put this kind of stuff. The toys will most likely go to our church's nursery and we'll donate the clothes and household items to charity...then this space will be empty!!!!

We combined some coolers (there are a couple of smaller coolers inside this big cooler) and put them in the garage.

This is when we started to get excited because we could see the floor.

Here are my shelves under the stairs...all organized. This is my holiday stuff. The bottom shelf has all things Christmas. The shelf above that has a Fall container, a Halloween container (because they're different you know), and my Valentine's Day and Easter decorations.

On the shelf above it I put a container with all of my gift bags and party decorations and wrapping paper. I spent the other day trying to find a gift bag and couldn't because they weren't in a designated space, but I won't have that problem anymore!

Even the laundry area got a face lift. Rondell had all of his painting stuff over here and it had to go. I just need to scrub the sink and maybe get a fun sign.

Rondell vacuumed each and every shelf. You can kind of see the wrapping paper, etc. shelf.

Here are the other shelves. The bottom shelf has all things painting. Just above that I have serving dishes that I don't use on a regular basis. To the left of the shelves is a bunch of stuff that needs to be thrown away but our trash can is full, so that has to wait.

Continuing with the shelves...this shelf has my cookie tins (in the blue bin) and cake and pie items.

So there you have it...our major tackle. There is still a list of things to do, like clean the sink, organize my craft stuff, donate...but overall this is a HUGE accomplishment.

For more tackles, check out 5 Minutes for Mom

23 comments:

Joanna said...

Wow...Y'all did a great job cleaning up and out!

Unknown said...

Wow, what a great job you did! Way to go!

Christy said...

Wow that was a massive project. Good job!

Kim @ Homesteader's Heart said...

Oy! What a job. I guess I'm grateful for NOT having a basement cause I know that mine would end up looking like that! LOL
Blessings,
Kim

Sugarplum Creations Blog said...

Wow, lady, you have been working hard lately! Can you come over and help me??? ;)

Carrie said...

Great work, Kelli! I'm so ashamed of our basement right now...it is a MAJOR dumping ground...and the kids' toys are everywhere! We are really going to try and work on that this Fall, though! You have got me itching to see our floor too! Love it! You are hard workers!

Unknown said...

Looks great!! I would love to have a basement!!

~Becca

Courtney said...

This looks great! Kudos to you for knocking that project out!!

Anonymous said...

Nice job! Doesn't it feel good when things are organized? I love it!

Katie said...

Don't you love having it done and organized. Now it will be so much easier to find the things you're searching for.

Kelli said...

The fact that you have a craft area that's all yours is soooo great. I'm jealous! Great job Kelli and Rondell.

ohio12 said...

Ben and I clean out the basement almost every winter, but it seems to "grow back". It is so great that you and Rondell can work together like that. I know some wives have a hard time convincing thier husbands to get on board. We are blessed in that regard.

Kelli W said...

That is a big change!! I bet you are SUPER excited to have a craft space all your own! We don't have a basement, so I do most of my crafting on my dining room table:)

Lemonade Makin' Mama said...

It's nice to see a return on your work isn't it!? Good job!!

Oh, and Thank you for the SWEET birthday wishes!! You blessed my heart with your comment.

Miller Racing Family said...

Wow great job. You guys sure took the word labor day to heart. The shelves under the stairs look great.
Wonderful job!

Shawn said...

Oh how I miss my basement! Living in Florida I don't have a basement just attic space and it's hotter than hot up there!

What an accomplishment!

Christie in Dallas, TX said...

Good for you! You have become the Queen of Accomplishment this year! I'm so jealous of basements -- wish we had them here in Texas. Hope you find some time to REST this week!

Angie said...

Yay for ya'll! IT will be awesome to have a craft area!

dominique said...

congrads on the massive tackle

Laurel @ Ducks in a Row said...

Of course there is a difference between fall and Halloween - that's a no brainer! Your space looks great and I'm starting to feel more relaxed!

jennykate77 said...

You guys really worked hard! YAY for seeing the floor! LOL :) It looks great! Doesn't it feel so good to de-clutter and clean out spaces like that?! I love it!

Cindi said...

Why do basements become a dumping groung?? I need to do mine! Thanks for the inspiration!

Vivienne @ the V Spot said...

Whoa!!! What a job, but check out how much you got done! That is so great. It feels so good to tackle a big chore like that.