A tisket, A tasket....

Check out this post. I believe we were separated at birth.

I promised in her comments section that I would post a pic of my Ikea sideboard, and here it is! It is actually a bookcase, but I bought it specifically to put in our dining room. It frees up cabinet space, displays pretty stuff, and allows my kids to access dishes without a) falling off the cabinet or b)breaking the Polish Pottery we use.


I also went a little crazy and took pics of all my basket organizational madness. It gave me pure joy to go around my house and take pictures of all the organization.

This is where I keep snacks, right on the counter so the kids can help themselves instead of me having to get it for them. At a different time. Every day.


This is where I keep the coffee supplies. I make frequent stops by this basket. I believe the others are getting jealous.


This is our fruit basket. Notice it matches the coffee basket. One was bought at a "basket factory" and the other was a gift from a friend who saw my love for baskets!
This one is for miscellaneous arts and craft supplies, under the actual sideboard, so my kids can color at their leisure, or if they need crayons for homework in the school year, they are within reach.

This basket holds items we use frequently: pens, dog leash, lists, you get the idea.
The basket on the left holds tea sets from Iraq that my kids play restaurant with frequently. The one on the right holds plastic bags. We grab those and the leash at the same time, and keep them in close proximity to each other.
I have baskets for everything. My son keeps his clothes in these Ikea baskets under his bed. Apparently, it is still a laborious task to put them away even though all one would need to do is lay them in the basket instead of the on the moon chair.
My son also has baskets on his bookcase. They hold all of his teeny tiny toys. You know, the ones that make adults want to cry because of the millions of pieces that somehow end up in your walk-in closet and you step on them with bare feet.


I also have baskets full of videos. Since I try to limit TV time (which I must say is not going well this long long l-o-n-g summer) they find it easy to choose from the basket and put it back. How this is different from or easier than putting them back on a shelving system, I could not tell you.

And finally (for now anyway, we are still getting settled in this new house), here are the baskets for toys. We are minimal when it comes to toys, as you can see. We have spent hundreds, probably thousands of dollars on toys, and my kids play restaurant with Lowe's aprons, tea sets from Iraq, and those plastic ketchup and mustard bottles you see at mom 'n pop restaurants. I am not a hoarder (how can you be a hoarder and have an obsession with organization?) so we frequently, gladly give things away.

And by the way, I have spent the better part of the afternoon looking at Ikea and thinking wistful, longing thoughts. We had one in Germany, and in our town last year, but the closest one to us is far, far away now.

However, I am willing to make the necessary sacrifice and drive the better part of a day to get to one. I may have to rent a U-Haul to get it all home, but it just proves the old saying true:

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.