Neat and tidy.

My basement renovation is just about finished ... that is to say, the contractors are just about finished up with their work in my basement. My part? Well - that is still a work in progress. (Back in August, in my yard sale post, I briefly mentioned that I was having work done in my basement so I could rent it out.) The guy in charge of the renovation, Todd - who is adorable and ever since the get go had his catch phrase of, "Oh that's no big deal, we can do that easy," which is what you would want to hear when you have a project going on - said that it would probably only take about 3 weeks to get the job done.

Then, as is typical in any kind of renovation or major project, it takes much longer than you think it will and costs much more than you had hoped it would. And then sometimes when you start a big project it is like opening a can of worms, where other things tend to need attention as well that you didn't anticipate would need attention ... if ya know what I mean.

Friends of mine stopped by on Sunday to see the progress. The husband said, "It looks really good, but I gotta say from looking around that if you took the next two weeks off of work you might be ready for your renters."

That wasn't encouraging, since I can't take the next two weeks off of work, darn it. I did find renters (imaginary choir sings praises of Alleluia here) and they need to be out of their house by October 16th and would like to start moving things over next week. So I have a deadline. And isn't that the good thing about a deadline? You have to get things done?! And I will, 'cause that's what we women do. When it's crunch time - WE CAN DO IT! (Which is not where I was headed with this post however ... ) Big sigh and side tracking aside - my house has been in just a wee bit of shambles since before that yard sale back in August.

I had every intention of staying organized as I emptied that third of my house and I got off to a really great start, but you know, the stuff in my girls' rooms just keeps on coming ... how does that happen? I just keep filling those totes and boxes and stacking them as HIGH as I can in my garage and I am running out of room!

Then once their rooms are emptied of all of their personal items (from the length of their lives), I need to get all the furniture out of the bedrooms and off to their new resting places, permanent for some, temporary for others - paint the entire basement - then have the carpets cleaned. (Wish me luck.)

When anyone has come to my door in the last several weeks, I just say Come in. Welcome to my Castle of Chaos. I am longing for order in my home right now. I am longing for things to be neat and tidy. I am longing to have everything back in its rightful place ... wherever that may now be. I am longing to have the kind of order that my Aunt Mary has in her house. (Pictured above - and it always looks like that!)

My sisters and I always like to go and see Aunt Mary's house when we are in New York just in case she has done anything new. We love her style and her beautiful "pieces" (that we tell her we want when she dies since her girls don't really care about that kind of stuff) ... right now, I am loving just the thought of having my house look as neat and tidy as hers does.

It could happen. (It better happen!)