Home Improvement

During the Christmas break, Alfredo did two things that made our house nicer. First, my Christmas gift from him was a computer desk. I had a small wooden desk that I bought after (or maybe even before?... but I think it was after) graduating from college, 14 years ago. It has been with me through three or four moves and 14 years. Needless to say it was falling apart. Literally. So Alfredo bought/built a new computer desk. It is huge and pretty and sturdy. Just wonderful. Alfredo also did a pretty thorough cleaning of my office...which is the one room in my house that I totally neglect and that often looks like a bomb hit. I was nervous about him cleaning it but he was kind and didn't throw too much away but did make it nice. And miracle of miracles, it has stayed clean for 3 + weeks now!! (Seriously, I'm not kidding about the miracle comment. It really never stays clean.)



The second project was to install shelves in the basement for our food storage. I had my food in a small hall closet. It was convenient (close to the kitchen) but so small that it was always overflowing and hard to reach foods at the back. By putting up the shelves, there is more space. It is better organized. I can easily see what I have or don't have. And it freed up a closet to store our towels and blankets in. They had been stored in 3 or 4 spots in the house...all the extra nooks and crannies. So this, too, is making the house much better organized and easier to keep clean.
Amazing how two such simple, fairly small projects could make such a difference. This month, keeping my house neat has seemed easier and more manageable than in the past.

These shelves were obviously still empty when I took this picture. We hadn't finished moving everything downstairs when I took the photos.



And well, before I give Alfredo all the credit (but he still gets most!), I also worked hard during Christmas break. I cleaned out closets and went through every toy in the kids' rooms and organized. I donated a trunkload of stuff to DI.

That's just some of the stuff that went to DI.