Green House.

Well, NOT really a GREEN HOUSE, but more of a greenhouse/atrium/summer kitchen.

I'm talking about the area that was a HUGE selling point of this house almost 7 years ago. I can not believe it's actually been almost 7 years, but it has and man, oh, man how the time has flown. A lot has happened, but the only thing that has happened in that wonderful space is JUNK storage. A drop zone.

New stuff. Old stuff. My stuff. His stuff. Their stuff. My Mom's stuff. Boys' stuff.

STUFF.

STUFFED FULL!

Whatta MESS....

Well, on Wednesday, Ginger and I braved the cold - although, after working for a few, we stripped our layers - one by one. And when we were finally done sorting and organizing and throwing away garbage, and I came inside to change into clean clothes, the fat layers on the lower portion of my body were very, very cold! Good job fat layers! They were cold, but I hadn't noticed! Maybe, and I'm only gonna say this once, I like my fat!!!

Anyway, back to my story - pre-cold-fat-discovery - we tackled the mess like troopers - with gloves! I won't even go into the whole mouse poop debacle, stemming from the oatmeal containers in a box (thanks, Ty! - Boys move out, and boys move back in...but who would've guessed they would bring food from their kitchen cabinets and store them!???)

Pre-sorting....

This is the view to the left, over the banister/landing - mid-sorting...

 This is the view from the upper level. 

This is me - armed and ready for battle.

This was Ginger's reaction to all.this.crap!!!

She was soon a happy, happy friend - I "gifted" her this window she was eye-balling...

She promptly took it outta there before I changed my mind....not likely, since I have many, many windows....plus, she was willing to glove-up in the mouse poop! What a trooper!!!...(yeah, a pooper-trooper) ... I couldn't resist... LOL

The upstairs room/space. Ginger says it would make a perfect theater room or game room... I see it painted all white with a new ceiling  -  it leaked a few years ago before we re-roofed it.

 These are Cub Scout badges from when my boys were little ... IN.GRADE.SCHOOL!!! Circa 1999!!! I was a den leader and these were left-overs I found in an envelope. Moved in a box, oh, 4 houses - WA to OR, OR to CA, CA to CA, CA to OR. YES, in a box we actually moved FOUR freakin' times!!!

 This is Ginger teasing..."Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!" Wearing Ty's Chevy's Restaurant Birthday sombrero...from, like age 9!!! He's 23 now....Thanks, DEAR FRIEND, for the intervention!!!
I'm NOT a hoarder....am I????

 O.K., but maybe hoarding is a good-thing? In that same box, I found $$$ that was reimbursed to me by one of those little- NOW 23 years-old - boys for a Scouting book....$4.25. Whoo HOOO! Talk about SAVINGS plan...um....

Hoarding Proof!

 

The Summer kitchen. Cool, old Formica, dontcha think? When Ty was "living" in this space, he removed the upper kitchen cabinet doors and began painting them with chalkboard paint. How cool was that? A boy before his time....

 

Organized piles that are sorted, but now need to find permanent homes. Car parts for the shop/garage. Bankers boxes of business documents to store for 7 years. Bankers boxes full of magazines to get rid of. Windows to use, re-purpose, sell. White plastic tables and chairs to use this Summer. Boxes of Ty's belongings that need to go to his rented 3 bedroom w/2 car garage!!!

Yay! Progress....progress that will continue and transform into a Where Women Create space? A GREEN HOUSE to grow plants and veggies? A game room? A Guest House/Room? Who knows. But NOT a DROP ZONE!!!!

The view from the kitchen towards the bathroom/breezeway....under the room upstairs... NOT yet finished.


I'm thinking it would be SO cool to order a few pallets of used, red brick and a load of playground sand and "pave" that dirt area/side. Hang up a few clear twinkle lights. Maybe a chandelier. Bring in the patio table and serve dinner under the stars....Or maybe put the hot tub in there...hmmmm...

For now the greenhouse bathroom and the kitchen sink has been sterilized and the mice - Dude the Cat, mouse traps and LACK OF OATMEAL willing - will be a thing of the past...We've NEVER had ANY evidence of mice in ANY thing in the house...including the dog, cat or bird food. Go figure!

Happy Saturday!

ETA: I HATE the used, red brick on my fireplace, but LOVE it on the ground!!!