One day at a time reclamation

Our basement wasn't quite as bad as the one in the picture, but it was a close second.

I love all my family members. But … And I know that there should be no buts when it comes to family. Still, sometimes there just isn't enough room for multiple families in your house, not to mention all their possessions. So, now that some of my family members have moved out to explore a new way of life, I'm in reclamation mode. Big time. I've also got a lot of my own stuff to weed through.

The big clean up is first, of course. So many things were left behind for the trash men that I feel sorry for them. And I will be feeling sorry for them for weeks, because that's how long it's going to take to dispose of all the non-recyclable and non free-cyclable items left behind by the 5 family members that moved out. (There's a limit on how much they'll take each week and we can't afford a huge haul or dumpster.)

It's going to take a lot of work to renovate our former storage area. We were planning on doing it just as the fab 5 moved in. It really was no place for anyone to live as far as I'm concerned but we couldn't let them go to a shelter. And it was clean and dry at least. But it needs to be painted. Some of the walls will need to be redone. The cement floor needs finishing. We have to do the annual basement spider spray. And why not do it all while it's empty?

I would really like for Gary to have that space as a work-shop/man cave/art space or whatever. We have been in this house for 6 ½ years. He bought it. It's in his name. And yet, because my family members were in need, he's never really had a single space he can claim as his own. Heck, we don't even go in the basement except to do laundry.

And speaking of laundry, once the storage room is finished, the laundry room is next on the list. We want to turn it into a combination laundry and overstock pantry. You know, kind of old time like. We want shelves and cabinets for storage, maybe a dry rack, a built in ironing center and of course, a place to put cleaning supplies and the like. And naturally, before we do all that, we'll have to paint and finish that room too.

Now, we're not rich. All of this will have to be done a very little at a time and on a strict budget. Some items will be reclaimed for sure. And day by day, upstairs reclamation will be happening at the same time. Because this was a fixer upper even before we all moved in. And lots of people have moved in and out with us since then. There will be some painting. We have to finish our bathroom remodel, and small stuff like removing a table leaf, sorting through things, etc.

It was a bit rough psychologically, having so many people here too. We love each other, but that was just too many people for one small 60's brick house! So we'll be clearing our minds, along with our home.

And you know, I have no regrets. I love them. They needed shelter. We gave them shelter. But I have to say, it certainly is quiet around here. And somewhat less messy as well. Of course, I miss them greatly. But I'm happy they've found a way of life that works for them. I'm happy that they won't have to depend on anyone but themselves now.

And the one day at a time reclamation of our house is what we're going to focus on now. Making my home nice gives me a great deal of satisfaction. So, I'll just be throwing myself into that for a while. It'll keep my mind off missing them. Sort of....