Before and After – Part I « Temporary? Insanity

Before and After – Part I

by Kym on March 2, 2009

I’d love to write today about how Spring is in the Air and I’m feeling the urge to conquer the winter blahs with a good stretch of cleaning and decluttering. Only the latter bit is true though, Spring is till a ways off for us up in the northern climes. The wind is whipping the trees about like mad today, and whistling through the eaves of our old house. The sun is coming in fits and starts, one moment brightening the house joyfully, the next leaving it greyer and duller in the wake of a cloud bank covering the sun.

We’ve been battling phlegm and crankiness the last few days, and I’ve decided not to give in to the blahs that are encouraging me to spend my week reading books and sipping hot spiced apple cider all day long. I’ve decided to DO something.

The state of my house is a wee bit disturbing at the moment. I keep piling up stuff to go out, and Neil keeps reclaiming things from my pile of boxes and bags for the garage sale/thrift store. Also, though he claims the weather prevents him from taking things out of the house, he keeps bringing things IN.

Colour me unimpressed.

Though a natural born hater of clutter, it seems to have overwhelmed not only our home but our style of life. We have become pilers and hoarders and dumpers. And I hate it. Enough that mild mannered Miss Kim is going to be getting a wee bit harsh around here. Everything will have a place to be put in or it with suffer my wrath! Things will be neatly boxed and labeled. Cupboards and closets will be cleaned. We will know where EVERYTHING is.

I am resolute.

And, embarrassing as it may be to have you see 1) how bad it’s gotten around here and 2) how even in the after pictures this house is seriously lacking in asthetic charm, I’m going to be doing a before and after series this next little while. I’ve been further inspired by my friend Rebecca who struggles in many of the same ways I do and is also tackling her mess right now.

Prepare to be disgusted and/or entertained…

And yes, we may actually own real furniture some day…and a beautiful bedspread…with matching pillow shams instead of using the toss cushions from the old couch…

Sigh.

I worked in a furniture store for five years. Curse those student loans!

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25 comments

Look at those clean spots! I love it. I’ll come and bask in the cleanliness of your room for a while to escape my crazily messy spot.

Or you can come visit and I’ll be forced to clean.

Yeah.

One of those!

Eowyn´s last blog post..Books

by Eowyn on March 2, 2009 at 11:50 am. #

I am a piler by nature. Worst victims: items that don’t have a place, but I don’t know WHAT to do with, but I know I don’t want to throw them away… yet. Looks like you’re making great progress. I should get working too. :)

Steph @ Diapers and Divinity´s last blog post..I’m a big, fat chicken.

by Steph @ Diapers and Divinity on March 2, 2009 at 11:56 am. #

Good for you–I absolutely love cleaning out an area and seeing it sparkle back at me. I usually let it get out of hand before it grabs me by the throat. Good for you, and good luck! Love that willow chair, BTW.

Josi´s last blog post..Slumdog Millunair

by Josi on March 2, 2009 at 12:11 pm. #

That is awesome Kim. Way to make us all get moving.

Jan´s last blog post..The Lion, the Witch and the Refrigerator

by Jan on March 2, 2009 at 12:36 pm. #

I like that chair made out of sticks. Oh, sorry, that’s not what you were trying to show us in those pictures? I guess I don’t even want to think about cleaning right now!

Erin´s last blog post..No Comment Week

by Erin on March 2, 2009 at 1:01 pm. #

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen before & after pics of your cleaning. I love them.

Annette´s last blog post..About a House

by Annette on March 2, 2009 at 1:56 pm. #

Nicely done! You’re an inspiration.

Novembrance´s last blog post..Read and Release

by Novembrance on March 2, 2009 at 2:06 pm. #

Kim–it looks lovely clean but even the before pictures really aren’t that bad. Honest.

Heidi Ashworth´s last blog post..The Pressing Need To Stock the Pantry Allows No Time To Title This

by Heidi Ashworth on March 2, 2009 at 2:28 pm. #

I am a piler and a stacker. Then I tend to walk around the stacks, forgetting they’re there.
I think your transformations are fantastic!! Want to come over?

JustRandi´s last blog post..GamePlay

by JustRandi on March 2, 2009 at 3:29 pm. #

yay! you totally inspire me.

by Elaine on March 2, 2009 at 5:53 pm. #

your slide show is like magic: first scene reminiscent of my place, one second later the bed has made itself and the miscellanea have moseyed off to their mythical homes. if only it were that painless, eh?

favorite line: colour me unimpressed.

you rock in so many ways.

nic´s last blog post..the middle of the day

by nic on March 2, 2009 at 7:37 pm. #

Yeah, my husband lost his mind and cleaned our house top to bottom on Saturday. Our place is small so the baby’s already wrecked it, but it was a lovely day while it lasted.

Melanie J´s last blog post..Sleeping on the job

by Melanie J on March 2, 2009 at 8:18 pm. #

You are inspiring! The only thing I wish for is that my messes were that small! :D It looks lovely. Wonderful job! Thanks for the linky love!

Oh, and get that give-away stuff out of there before things come crawling out again. Trust me, I know.

Rebecca´s last blog post..While We’re on the Subject of Clutter…

by Rebecca on March 2, 2009 at 8:31 pm. #

*Doing victory dance for you …*

I can’t stand clutter. Mostly I think organized people are just lazy – I don’t like to look for things!

And cider? It’s the ambrosia of the gods.

That Girl in Brazil´s last blog post..Cannot. Think.

by That Girl in Brazil on March 2, 2009 at 8:38 pm. #

Looks lovely! I know, I hate clutter too, but I can’t seem to escape it. I could show similar pictures, of course, but really I don’t feel like it’s me! I’m actually clean and tidy in my mind!

LisAway´s last blog post..The List

by LisAway on March 3, 2009 at 12:30 am. #

Oh how I dream of a matching bedroom set. And a matching tableware set and a matching living room set and……..

Summer´s last blog post..A piece of gum

by Summer on March 3, 2009 at 6:04 am. #

Absolutely beautiful….I’m being forced to clean out my kitchen cabinets
because one is threatening to fall off the wall (that’s how loaded I have it
with stuff). I’m not only a packrat, I’m a hazard.

leendaluu´s last blog post..

by leendaluu on March 3, 2009 at 10:16 am. #

I am much the same as you are. Hoarding makes me want to scream. Ryan does the same thing with taking stuff out of the pile that was TO GO. UGH! Your before pictures look pretty good to me, lady. You’re doing just fine. ;0

Heather of the EO´s last blog post..you get more of what you focus on

by Heather of the EO on March 3, 2009 at 7:05 pm. #

I didn’t mean to make that scary face at the end of my comment. But it’s funny.

Heather of the EO´s last blog post..you get more of what you focus on

by Heather of the EO on March 3, 2009 at 7:05 pm. #

Now, suddenly, I’m acutely aware of all the piles of clutter in my bedroom… You’ve inspired me. You’ve inpsired me to look at YOUR pics and pretend like MY house doens’t exist. :-D

Brillig´s last blog post..Dogs, Mice (of the Mickey-Minnie variety), and Spinny Things (not necessarily in that order)

by Brillig on March 4, 2009 at 8:38 am. #

You’re so funny! Um, so you wanna come do MY bedroom? Why is it that your bedroom is always the last one you clean? The rest of my house looks great… just my dang bedroom!

by Abra on March 4, 2009 at 9:52 am. #

Completely horrified. I had no idea I was following someone with such a wayward sense of tidiness. How could you. I mean, you have two kids, enslave them! Make them do some folding or something.

Although to be honest, I am more horrified that you described as untidy something that would kick the crud out of the state of *my* house.

Yes, the tidiness did NOT last to March. dang.

by Zerilda The Superfluous Blogger on March 4, 2009 at 3:58 pm. #

Good for you! I dejunked 4 kitchen cabinets yesterday. I think it was the iron IV I had the day before. But I must’ve used it all up cause I’m tired again…

Karlene´s last blog post..March UB Make & Take Workshop

by Karlene on March 4, 2009 at 5:29 pm. #

I love seeing the before and after. I love neatness and order and abhor clutter. But I lack the skill when the messes grow to superhuman proportions. Won’t you please come fix MY house?

charrette´s last blog post..A Mother’s Reach

by charrette on March 5, 2009 at 9:14 am. #