January 31, 2007
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This Has Gone Too Far
~~~~~
This post is dedicated to anyone who has ever read my blog and thought,
”She seems like she has her act together.”
Yeah, right.
~~~~~
Let us begin with the ever-loving piles of books
(small children need to keep their distance in case of a bookslide)
I have to wish myself luck and break out the vaseline every time I try and squeeze my fanny down this hallway (complete with Roo’s dresser as her room is not done yet)
still unpacking because we only just moved here
(two years ago!
)
Thud.
(board games, anyone?)
From the top of the stairs looking into our bedroom
entering the bedroom
(see the post-it note over the bed? I am pretty sure it says something like, “clean up this room, you hoser!”)
my crammed and crappy little craft corner, all 4′x3′ of it
(where I have room to stretch my wings and sew, knit, paint and felt)
nice workplace but my boss needs to get her act together!
I think I need an intervention; this house is so disorganized I can hear Martha Stewart crying the ugly cry and she is running out of freshly pressed, embroidered hankies.
Someone throw me a line!!!!
Comments (76)
haha! i love it. in all it’s craziness it honestly screams to me, “this is the perfect house!” i would killlllll to be surrounded by that many books, beautiful words mmmmmm. you need me there though, i am the sick master of organization. i have our book shelves done by subject, and then alphabetical per section. yes i am a loser. i’m surprised you haven’t taken over your barn (you have one right?) and given that up to the books and office space.
I knew there was a reason I liked you. Apparently we are long lost sisters. If we had grown up together we would have taught eachother how to “behave”. Fortunately we didn’t, because I think it’s much more fun this way anyway.
Oh, if I came to visit you I would LOVE to look through all your books! Books, books, books!!! We have had small bookslides, due to books stacked on the floor in the guestroom. We need another bookshelf. Your house looks like a home…and besides you make your own maple syrup, and cool nursing dolls and dandelion wine. Your children are happy and healthy and you all seem to live a very lovely life.
I would like a pretty hanky, though, with daisies embroidered on it…Martha has her place. LOL!
I’m in constant decluttering (or wanting to) mode and it’s so hard because it takes TIME and it’s hard with kids underfoot and more fun things to do than sort/toss/organize. I think priority number one is a better/bigger space for your crafty goodness! (drooling over that basket of your mothers in that pic…
)
I’d help but I’m swimming under my own books, games, toys, bits of things my dog chewed and dirty dishes. Wipes forehead. Anyway, it looks fun and happy and that’s most important, right?
It is nice to see I am not the only one
)
I laughed at the book slide thing, we just got tired of it and put most of our books in big bins on the shelf. The kids books are the only ones that stay out we still get book slides once in a while, just not major ones
But the walls are all painted such beautiful, bright, vibrant colors!
LOL,I love how you painted all around your craft area but didn’t paint that since it is its own space! I must say most of my house looks like yours! We have been here 8.5 years and the basement is still full of unpacked boxes…
You should see our garage! I need TLC’S clean sweep in a mega bad way. I like that bright blue in the room. VERY VIBRANT!
Oh thank you thank you thank you for this post!!! I was beginning to wonder how you do it and how I could possibly do it considering I don’t even have munchkins yet (with the exception of the current 8 furry munchkins currently residing under our roof….eeek!!)
I love your house though the floors and vaulted ceilings and vibrant colours…I have always wanted book lined walls too!
I love your etsy too…There is one tapestry that I told Mike he must buy for me when I get pregnant…I will be buying one once I get a job this summer too! I am so happy that the sales are taking off for you!
xo
xo
I love you!
Thank you for this– I truly, truly needed it!!
baha. let me organize something by color for you, ok?
It doesn’t look bad to me, it looks like fun, in fact! You should add these pics to the honest photography flickr group!
There is a something about tons of books and games every where that just makes it feel like home. = )
Okay, I’m just going to die if I don’t know who sings this song on your blog. It’s the most beautiful lullaby I’ve ever heard. PLEASE!!! ; )
Thanks for showing us that. It does make me feel a bit better, although I could live in piles of books like that happily for the rest of my days.
You need to get that handy/hunky husband of your’s to build you floor to ceiling bookshelves in every room. Problem solved!
tee-hee
If I could get there I’d be glad to help you organize. I think your place looks very home-y.
I say this with love and no judgment whatsoever… I would go absolutely NUTS with all that stuff!!! I still love your colors though!
Overproducktion: it is Paula Cole singing “hush”
Holy Books, Batman! You need your own library. You’ve got room on the property, right?
holy i have never seen so many games outside of a store in my life!!
Im glad im not the only clutter bug, always makes me feel better
Leah
Wasn’t there a recent resolution about not letting the mess bother you??
I feel your pain. My house is worse than yours… nyah, nyah, nyah
A beautiful vivid life!
Thank you…..I now know I am not the only one
I love it, because it says you are living… so to me, still perfect
)
Your home is cozy…very!
Time for decluttering!
It’s alright. Martha, I’m sure, has a machine to recyle them somewhere.
Though if you want to change this, there ain’t nobody but you, girl, to do it.
I love your house!! I too need a little kick in the pants. I heard somewhere that when professional organizers go into homes the one thing they ALWAYS find are organizational stuff that hasn’t been used; therefore I refuse to buy anything like that.
Ohh, I love your home! The wood floors, the brightly painted walls, and those books! I’m the same way when it comes to unpacking. We’ve been in our flat for a year now…and still we sleep on a mattress with no frame, have boxes to sort through, and the floor is covered in clothes piles. It’s madness but at the same time I like it. Weird, I know.
Also, love this song! So beautiful.
But Martha would love your wide floorboards.
Holy cow, that’s a lot of books!!!!!!!!!
And I’m glad to see I’m not the only loser without a Real Grownup Bedboard.
I also love your music. In fact, I always leave your site open so I can hear all of the songs. Is that Peter Gabriel singing with her??
Organized piles…what more do you need! Thank you for posting these, like others have said, it is nice to know there are other people like who live like we do
Instead of putting Ms Stewart in jail, they should have made her clean up houses like ours…it would have been adequate punishment for her and done some good for society.
I’m with LynnE73 — I would go completely mental — let me come over sometime with a box of trash bags and a UHaul. Starving people in third world countries need those books and games…and boobettes.
But eh — ya know what? To each his own – it’s home right?!
You know Julie – it wasn’t really nice of you to sneak in my house, take pictures, and then post them on the internet…
I think you might actually have more books than we do, but tally in the rest of B’s collections and we surpass you by far. I’ve contained a good majority to the basement, but it’s still out of control.
Oh, and we’ve been here for about 3.5 years and we have (seriously) dozens of boxes yet unpacked. (They live in the basement – but still)
I think it looks wonderful. I do wish you had a roomier art/craft space, though. My head hurts picturing you felting are cramped up in there. Let’s build ourselves cob art/craft studios this summer!
I am digging the “honest blogging” bug that’s going around! XO
I am so glad to know that I’m not the only one who is still unpacking… though as of the 19th of Feb. we’ve been in this house 3 years. Sometimes I just want to throw it all out… and start from scratch.
Your house actually looks pretty normal to me.
Hugs’n'Smooches!
You have a lot of stuff!!!!!
Ahhh, I feel much better now knowing that your “togetherness” was all a facade! Just kidding, of course
Well, thank you for that very honest look at your mess.
I dunno what would help, but it looks like my basement if it makes you feel any better.
I love it! My house is such a display of life being lived too. At least we will never run out of things to do!
BTW: Shelves and bins hide a multitude of sins :>)
lmao wow. your house seems to have the same exact organization that my room does.
The votes have been calculated and all members of the “i love juliepersons” blogring are unanimous:
we still love you!
Built in book shelves are screaming to be added!
Kisses…
Books are beautiful. But, like you, we are finding they can form an army and conspire against you. They are EVERYWHERE!!!
If you are going to surround yourself with something, nothing is better than love and books. I’d say you’ve got it all.
I love it, the wart on the tail of the perfect Julie!!! Even cluttered, though, your house screams COZY HOME!!!
A friend gave me a wonderful idea for board games–
Put a number label on the back of the boards, put the parts in a bag with a matching number. Put all that in a game tub/box. Make a list of all the games and numbers and put it in a binder…or get sleeves for in the binder and number them, sliding the instructions for each game into the sleeve.
as for the books….if you find a way to tame the bibliophile monster, let me know–we have books and book cases everywhere. To find stuff I have to try to visualize where I saw it last…color, size, etc
your home may not be spotless and perfect but it looks like a lot of fun goes on and there’s love everywhere!
phew, you guys are normal : )
the things that people own, start owning them.
I would be so at home at your house. My better half gets tired of the book stacks, but I’ve warned him never to make me choose between MY books and him. Of course, I’d choose him but I don’t want to give him any ideas…
It’s not cluttered – it’s fertile!
hehehe…this makes me smile. Don’t we all have great intentions to organize…I say leave it how it is and hang out in the craft corner.
I would be perfectly happy in your place. And I am disinclined to ever share pictures of my completely disorganized house.
Hey, you have come highly recommended! So I stop by to say hey! I am also glad to see there is someone on the planet with as many books as me!! Ha ha ha!
Is it sad that I’m thrilled that you’re somewhat normal after seeing those photos? About the unpacking – we still have boxes in our basements that we haven’t looked in for over 5 years. They’ve moved two places without being opened, and we’ve been in this house for 3 years. So yeah, you’re not the only one.
I feel your pain. Wonderful collection of books! my my my that is alot of Books.
Have a great day!
ryc : you ARE a genius– I do have a full and rich life and my mind is SO growing and expanding right now, just like a pregnancy.
thanks.
and I don’t know how you stand those boxes in the hallway. I would go crazy….but I would still come to visit you
yes, and I needed your post too!!! thanks!!!
So interesting to see into the homes of us; I am a complete opposite, as my house is always tidy. But THIS bothers me, LOL. I feel it’s part of my anxiety problem, a control issue. It is rewarding to keep dishes in the sink. In your house I’d feel quite comfortable. It looks lived in, loved. Warm. A little organization might be nice, of course, but you can do it – set aside the time. That’s all it takes.
When I first found your blog a couple of years ago it was your focus on your children, the joy in their eyes and yours that drew me to keep coming back….oh and that really cool color of yellow on your livingroom wall. I would also love to sit and go through your books. Great post Julie..lots of love
ahahha but it LOOKS like organized clutter!
Hmmm. Wow. My mother would have a coronary and fall over dead, but I think it looks lovely!
(and it’s nice to know you’re not COMPLETELY perfect
… gives the rest of us something to strive for)
But your walls sure are clean and pretty!
I love it! Let’s see, you are making custom felted dolls every 4 hours for mamas all around the country… you have time to read hundreds of comments a day, and you take photos and cook and bake and sew and sell and read? I’ve noticed that the most dedicated activists have the most stuff in their homes. I purchased my made-to-order custom mama doll and toddler doll on SUNDAY, and it arrived on THURSDAY. You are awesome, awesome!!
And I gave my girl her felted dolls tonight, on her 2nd birthday, and she loved them. She had that toddler doll nursing on the mama doll all night.
I need to show my hubbie your pics. He’s always giving me a hard time about my “piles” I have stacked all over–your photos will make him appreciate me a bit more
. He can’t help himself==he’s an engineer and loves order and organization. Let’s just say, I’m not 
hi.i come from hongkong
shall we be friends?
nice to meet you!!
really, your house is very tidy
at least better than mine!
Gee. It looks alright to me.
To me, it looks like a healthy balance of work and play. The work is all around you and in most rooms it is confined to the shelves. In a couple of rooms the work gets the message that life is more than this. This can wait while life takes precedence. Happy organizing, but don’t forget to take play breaks!
i dont comment much anymore. forgive me but it’s a bit daunting to be commentor number seventy-freaking-six! It feels you’ve become a celebrity and I’m not good at be a fan. I more like being a reader and pal I think
hehe
anyhow i think of you often and i love your posts dearly. but this ones has got to be my very favorite JP!!!
mwah! *