I thought I could, I thought I could...

Prepare yourselves for what you are about to see. Your opinion of me is about to change   

FOR. E. VER

I am going to show you the before and after pictures of my "secret shame". Some of you commented in my last post that everyone has a "secret shame" and not to worry about it. I doubt you will argue with me that any of you have a "secret shame" as shameful as this...

I ask you; what kind of person lives like this?  A pig.  Not even a person.  A pig who lives in a pig pen.  I was just a-chuckin' stuff all about the place.  No rhyme or reason, no place for anything to go.  Just take it off and chuck it down.  Come now!  That is shameful!  

And just look at this festering swine hole if you will.  Are you kidding?!  This is RIDICULOUS!  Nay, ridonculous!  

And this!  I even attempted some sort of bin system here which obviously did NOT work for me.  I cannot believe I'm putting these pictures on here.  I seem to have lost a number of readers already.  What is this going to do to me?  Well, this is my punishment for being such a slob.  It's my flogging if you will.  My hairshirt and my celise belt.  I will do the time, for I committed the crime.  OH how I committed the crime!  

So when people walk into my house they say, "your house is always clean!  Is it really like this all the time?"  And I answer that it is IN THE MAIN PART of the house.  The rooms and closets have always been a fiasco.  I keep things clean but there is always clutter of some sort around.  I make the beds and clean the bathrooms but there are about 50 million piles of books, and odd socks, and toys, and clean piles of laundry.  I don't know what it is with me.  I'm like a little rodent.  I stuff things in closets and cupboards and corners.  

Well, it all started to get to me a few months ago and I called in a professional organizer to do my pantry.  She literally changed my life.  I know, it sounds dramatic but honestly, this woman made it approachable.  So I've been systematically going from room to room and organizing EVERYTHING just exactly the way she taught me.  It is a PAIN in the RUMPUS!  However, my pantry has stayed exactly the same as the day she did it for 6 months and that is really saying something for me.  Obviously she knows what she's doing.  I'm only going to post the before and after pictures of my "secret shame" because it is the most dramatic.  It was the most shameful and therefore had the most dramatic outcome.  Here are the glorious after shots...

This is the best view I could get of the whole closet.  The dvd on the floor is "Girls Just Want to Have Fun".  I cannot take a perfect picture to save my life.  Lizzy chucked that in there and I didn't notice until the photo shoot was over.  I'm can't be bothered to redo it ;).  The large bins up top contain things like pajamas, sweats, swim wear, bags, sweaters, etc.  They're perfect!

This picture is showcasing the fact that I'm actually using that bottom rod!  What a novel idea!

The above is a smattering of shoes.  Yes, just a smattering.  I have a small problem ;).  It has helped me immensely to put them in clear boxes with labels such as "heels", "athletic", "sandals" etc.  No dusty shoes, no smashed shoes.  Brilliant!

Now look at the brilliant use of those shelves!  I'm so proud of those!  My gym bag and swimming gear is at the bottom and more shoes going up.  Lovely.  

And my last and loveliest shot :).  The perfectly clean shelves.  Also, I added the little hooks you see on the right for things like a robe or a hat or bag I'm using often.  They're those lovely 3M ones that you can remove by pulling that tab and they don't take off your paint or anything.  I tried.  

So, yes I'm a pig.  I can admit it now.  I may have failed my 12 step program with fingerless gloves but I stuck with it for organizing.  I've become a woman possessed.  I've done the kids toys, my closet, the mud room, Lizzy's room and just today finished Will's room (that one was a bugger!).  I'm moving like a house on fire!