Before Photos - Upstairs Living Spaces

Two weeks ago I showed you my scary basement. Today I'm sharing some of our upstairs, where we spend most of our time. It's cluttered, no question, but I hope you'll agree it's not as bad as the basement!

This is a photo of our formal living room. That's 3 couches, 5 tables, 2 chairs, 3 lamps, a curio cabinet, and a plant. On the right, hidden from view, is a secretary desk. We were recently given one of these couches and are trying to get rid of the matching floral couch & loveseat. If we can't manage to sell them on Craig's List or find someone who wants them, we'll try and donate them.

This is the view from the opposite side of the room.

This is the kids' bathroom. I am purposefully showing these rooms in their "natural" state without tidying up. We toss the curtain up for baths, there is usally hair or teeth stuff lingering on the countertop, and that potty training seat is irritatingly often pulled out from the cabinet.

This is a view of our hall closet. Many, many things get tossed in here. It's pretty organized, but it has to be because there's so much stuff in there! You can see we keep the diaper stockpile, toilet paper, gifts, gift wrap, birthday party supplies and more here.

The view into the opposite corner shows more gift wrap.

This is the kitchen. The island usually has some piles, the cupboards are full of Bible verses and lists, and the fridge has lots of photos of friends, family, and missionaries we pray for conveniently out of the little kids' reach. Up above the cupboards are things rarely used, but requiring parent supervision. In truth, I'm not sure how different this room will look after ProjectTwentySix. We spend so much time in here it's destined to be the most cluttered, but I'm sure there will be some improvement.

This is the playroom. You can see many toys stacked in those bins on the shelves. Under the window are piles of clean laundry. That's more laundry folded on the couch and tossed over the back. It looks like this about twice a week. My kids have so many clothes that I can do NO laundry for 3-4 weeks and they'll still have clothes to wear. Clothing is one of the big elimination goals for ProjectTwentySix. Back in the corner is an old dinosaur desktop that the kids use for CD-Rom games. It isn't hooked up the internet.


It's humbling to share these "real" photos with you. I know all of us have messy houses sometimes, but usually we can clean up before friends come over. And in truth, my friends have seen my house in much worse shape than these photos show! I'm hoping ProjectTwentySix will make the "real" state of my house better and better!

In a couple more weeks I'll share bedroom pictures. *sigh*

Katie