for the love of an old house

September marks our official 2-year anniversary on our small hobby farm (and I stress small and hobby) and in this old house. We are project people and this place defines project.

One. Big. Never. Ending. Project.

But we bore easily and this place always has one more thing to do. Now what I love about it is it's not ours. So the projects we take on must be little to no cost which is my favorite way to do things and reminds me of that first little apartment we had on campus that I decorated with hand-me-downs and Odd Lots specials (I didn't say it looked good, but it required some thinking and creativity). "Something out of nothing" mentality, which is where I flourish.

Now, I  will paint anything at the drop of a hat, but anything cosmetic that requires money gets either a whole lot of ingenuity or is done in such a way we can take it with us. Preferably both. Anything major and impossible to ignore gets a call to the owner (who, by the way, is so very good to us). It's the perfect way to live in a very old project kind of house!

These are some of my favorite pieces that keep me organized. The house is actually the same square footage that our neighborhood house was, except I lost my huge finished basement in exchange for a creepy dirt cellar that I wouldn't even store canned goods in (and the house would have to be falling in around us before I'd consider it a safe place in a storm). Plus, it has a fraction of the closet space. A very small fraction. So I have learned to get creative with storage.

S built me these massive shelves Mother's Day 2010 to harness all the stuff that comes with being a homeschooler and a project junkie. We began using the room as a guest room this summer, so I added the coverings when we are not using them. The dust covers are Velcroed at the top and when I open them I pleat them so they have a gathered look, like an opened drape. One set holds all our art and handicraft supplies. The other set holds school materials, reference books, math aids, and books that are not scheduled for anyone at the moment. Each child gets his/her own shelf to put some of their personal things, their current study books, and their planners.

I'm so spoiled.