So this has been the season of leaks. First it was the 3rd floor’s radiator leaking into our bathroom. Now it’s their radiator in the living room that’s causing drips from our ceiling. It’s slow-ish and appears only to be an issue when they have their heat going, but still needs to be dealt with pretty immediately.
The only problem is, is that our place is still out of sorts. Thanks to Daniel (AKA Mr. Muscles), we know have found the perfect home for our lone cabinet. It had been sitting in the middle of our dining room-turned-community room causing a major halt in progressing and finishing our “remodel.”
Yesterday was spent moving the final pieces of furniture (of course moving the final furniture caused us to rearrange a desk and a cabinet, too). What took the most time was removing everything inside and on the shelves so we could do the move and then putting it all back.
It’s actually not very messy anymore, although we haven’t dusted or swept anything other than immediate messes since our big project began. Hardwood floors + 4 kitties makes for some fairly impressive dust bunnies. Ben always jokes that we could make another cat outta all he sweeps up. Not much of an exaggeration if we miss a few days!
So we must sweep and at least get the place looking a little more tidy before we call Mr. Landlord. We spent a good part of today cleaning and deodorizing a footlocker we found at a thrift store. It’s totally AWESOME. We’ve been wanting to replace our old, secondhand, scratched up coffee table for a couple years now. It just wasn’t a priority, but we did manage to dream up the perfect replacement and this trunk is IT.
First, we wanted something practical. Something big enough to put remotes and candles and newspapers on, etc. Basically something to drop stuff on. We also liked the idea of having extra storage inside or underneath so we started looking at the trunk idea. Have you seen some of those old trunks that have been cleaned up and refurbished? They can look awesome. We’re not so into the dark wood and thought maybe we’d paint it or something to brighten it up. And then we spotted this.
It’s nearly PERFECT. It’s a humongous footlocker and the interior looks brand new. It even has one of those heavy duty trays inside and snaps shut at both sides with a lock in the center. The best part is the color. It’s this super pretty and shiny turquoise. The metal accents are stainless steel so it looks kinda modern. We’ll have to post a pic as soon as it’s all prettied up.
The only drawback is there was a mothbally stench inside. It was super clean, but even after Lysoling it down and putting a box of baking soda inside for a week, it still smelled. The whole idea of having the storage compartment is to have a secret place for the kids’ toys. Coloring books, stuffies and pony hair stinking would be way bad, so we haven’t been able to store anything inside yet. And we really need to get that stuff out of sight.
This is where I get to the point of this post. Ben says we shouldn’t feel like we have to hide our toys and stuff. We completely disagree. Our landlord doesn’t come over often, but with all these radiators leaking, he might be here quite a bit doing repairs. He knows Ben and L do not have children. It would be weird for him to see a bunch of Barbies and My Little Ponies and coloring books, etc. around, right?
We just don’t want to draw any attention. That’s just how we are. We feel more comfortable hiding most of the “evidence.” We’re used to it. We’re used to flying under the radar as much as possible. Why makes things awkward? We have Tinker Bell window clings on our front porch window, but we make sure to pull the curtains when someone is over. It’s just easier to avoid any questions, right?
Ben thinks it’s perfectly fine, and I guess, normal to have a bunch of stuffies on top of your entertainment center and little pony figurines on your computer monitor. But for a couple in their 30’s and 40’s with no kids, it kinda looks weird, right? Plus, just in case someone were to see the toys and innocently ask if we were “expecting” or something, that would just totally breaks like all our hearts (there will be no babies in our future).
So if you ask me, that’s a good enough reason to just put as much of the real obvious kid stuff away. Let’s just get this chest cleaned up (so far the vinegar wipe down didn’t do so much, but thanks to Ben we found the Febreeze and it’s MAGIC!) and get the toys put safely away ASAP so we can make the call.
What do you guys think? Is it unhealthy for us to feel we need to hide evidence of the younger us’s? I’m not ashamed. I just like to avoid conflict and uncomfortable moments whenever possible. What do y’all do when people come by?
It’s a tough one isn’t it? I’d vote for transparency everytime but I know that in reality that’s not so easy, I struggle with the practice too. If it’s someone who doesn’t matter does it matter? And if it’s someone important who you want in your life should it matter? Clean and tidy is a must although that might be a relative perspective but your stuff? Well it’s your place, your thing. Not their beeswax.
I tend to put my young stuff away. But I know that partly I don’t like being asked questions. Even with my counselor I became careful about stop coloring before he called me into his office. (One time I didn’t notice the time. He didn’t mind that I was coloring but I felt like it was something I didn’t want to share.) You might try an experiment and choose a few things to be out and see how it goes. I am working towards not worrying what other people think but it is still difficult. I kind of go with the idea of do what makes me feel comfortable even if it doesn’t make sense to someone else. That trunk sounds great and I am glad the Febreeze worked. Yea for Ben.
I’m with Ben, but my girls insist on hiding our 30-40 Barbie, Ken, Kelly and Tommy’s, the stuffed animals that live on our bed and and the Velvet, Cinnamon, Crissy and family of dolls. These are all in our bedroom, but the girls hide them nevertheless.
Hey there, just found your blog and I really like it! i’ve just recently started my own. It’s a great way to put things out there in the world. On your question…. I think if you are more comfortable having things out of sight when certain types of people are around that’s ok. It all about having healthy boundaries and making sure all of you are happy with how things are working. So if the questions that might arise when others see ‘evidence’ are too probing and make you feel uncomfortable then go ahead and put it away. For me it would make it feel like my things were safer that way. Just a thought.
peoplepuzzlepieces (ppp)
I think you just need to do what is best FOR YOU. It is about feeling safe. I think you all will KNOW when you feel comfortable enough to leave things out. It sounds to me like answering questions, or someone asking if you are expecting might be too much to handle right now… So maybe (For Right Now) it is best to clean up these items.
I clean up all sorts of items that aren’t a big deal, but I just don’t leave them out… Like different books. Not because I am embarassed, just because that is what is right for me.
Frebreeze rocks, by the way. LOVE it.
And I totally get the cat fur thing. My cat puts the fur in furniture. I joke that I could knit the homeless sweaters from al the cat hair at my house.
I agree with Ben that you shouldn’t have to put your things away. Maintenance people and landlords (and everyone, for that matter) should keep their mouths shut and be more accepting. However, the fact is that most of them aren’t kind or thoughtful, or smart enough to realize that they should keep their mouths shut, so I can completely see why you would want to hide some of your toys. Although for reference, both my husband and I are on our 30s, no kids ( or kid-alters, either), and we (mostly me) still have lots of toys and stuffies all over our apartment. And I’ve never had anyone say anything. Your footlocker sounds fabulous! Good luck with the landlord!
Hey Everyone,
Thanks for the feedback! Gotta cruz and get this place ready so we can call the landlord. I’ll write a post later in response to y’alls comments! Seriously, thanks for the thoughts.
Q