Tackling the untackle-able!

Well, the kids are all in full day school this year and I have 10 years of living to deal with.  We moved into our home 6 years ago - a house we bought for it's potential - not for it's style...  So now, with those 6 years under our belts the whole zone is wildly outdated.  We went on holidays this summer and I stood at the magazine racks and realized that if I bought one more 'food' magazine I was going to gain yet another 10 pounds.  So instead, I let my hand stray to a pile of Do-it-yourself home renovation magazines that promised amazing, cheerful results done by none other than mostly me. 

Where to start?  We have all of the usual disasters to deal with: an overgrown garden, in-home clutter, 3 children in 1 bedroom, and a general sense of irritation instead of peace when we walk in the door to our home.  That being said, I really believe that our home and many homes like it, have tons of potential.  Can it be done?  Certainly!  By me? Well.... 

One of the boys piped up this summer that he wanted his own room this year and I realized that 9 years have gone by and that his request was more than reasonable, it was maybe a little belated.  We have a 70's/80's style split-level home with a room off of the family room on the lower floor.  He asked if that could be his bedroom.  He asked while it was still our storage room.  Floor to ceiling pine shelving from IKEA.  We made the commitment to him regardless and so now I am going through the painful, yet exciting process of learning how to make a house a home.

First, we had to deal with years of clutter.  Things that I was holding on to.  Hubby loves the dump.  If you put something down, it's likely to disappear - but I still admit that me and the children have let the mountain grow beyond what even hubby on his keener days could manage.  We went through the storage room and assessed each and every item.  Basically, each item had to prove that they deserved to stay in the house: did we use it, did we love it, did it add to our life or did it suck energy from us just looking at it?  If, as my mother likes to say, it didn't bring me joy - I turfed it, recycled it, or gave it away.  Bags and boxes of things have marched right out of our house.

I used to find decluttering stressful - now I find it lovely.  I have a friend who says it's better than sex.  Better than sex?  Maybe, maybe not - but I will say - it's pretty close and the feeling sure lasts longer.  The only treasures I kept that have no use at all were one little baby outfit each that I bought for my babes the moment I knew I was pregnant. 

Now the room is empty.  But I have to deal with the issue of the walls.  I took some before pictures that will make you gag.  My in-laws had kindly painted the room a deep DEEP burgundy colour for a foreign exchange student who ended up being afraid to stay downstairs alone.  She ended up in the 3rd bedroom upstairs (thus all of our kids have always shared a room) and we ended up stuck with the burgundy storage room.  Well, I'm going to download our 'before' shots so that you can see exactly how rookie we are. 

If, and I believe it's true, even I can do-it-myself - then really ANYONE can!