I’ve posted bits and pieces about my remodel, and we’re not quite done.

I’ve already shared a story of my remodel from the view of our toilet arrangements.  Now, I’d like to share the story from another unique viewpoint.  This time, it’s

The story of my remodel from the viewpoint of my stuff.

So when I say “I’m ready to come out of the closet” I should probably explain things a little.

Or maybe a lot.

As a reminder, we’ve been remodeling our home since May 2012.  We still aren’t done.

I have no where to hang my clothes.

After a year-long (and counting) remodel, I’ve learned a few things.  Some of them I learned the hard way, and others are the result of whispered advice from ladies who cared.

I was prepared for the standard bits of wisdom.  I knew it would go over budget.  I knew it wouldn’t be completed on time.  I even knew we’d expand the scope of the project.

If you have ever dreamed about remodeling, know someone who is going through a remodel, or just like to watch remodel shows on television then you need to read my list.

Some of these things don’t show up on HGTV, and it was a bit of a shock (at least for me).

I’ve talked about my remodel before, but I’ve never actually shared the whole story from start to finish.  It’s long and involved and complicated.   I could have easily written 2-3 blog posts a day for the past 18 months with all the nitty gritty details.

But they would have been really boring posts.

Instead, I’ll share my story in some unique ways.  Starting with this one.

If you follow me on Facebook or twitter, you know I finally got some bookcases for the house. We ordered them over a month ago, and they finally came in.  I also posted a bit about them in yesterday’s five minute Friday writing prompt (enough).

I was less than enthusiastic about having to rearrange the 60 identical boxes my husband had stacked (label side to the wall) where the bookcases needed to go. As I started digging in, the boxes split pretty evenly between kitchen stuff, clothing and shoes, books, and random stuff thrown in a box. Three of those categories were pretty easy to deal with. The random stuff… well, I’ll ignore it for now.

I was totally ecstatic about the bookcases. I almost couldn’t sleep the night before they arrived. I was looking forward to reunions with long lost book friends. I was eagerly anticipating access to my cookbook collection. I was excited about my children having new books to read. I was excited to think about the floor space I was gaining by unpacking 20+ boxes of books.

I’ve been wanting these big bookcases since my husband and I got married – well over ten years. So the bookcase arrival was a really big deal for me.

What I wasn’t expecting was the emotion.

My remodel continues to impact my life in major ways.  From time to time, I’ll share a remodel report to let you know how things are going… mostly because I need to share.

In June of 2011, we moved out of the house as part of a major remodel. Our house was totally gutted right down to the studs, so it’s taken a bit longer than we had originally planned. Fast forward to June 2012. We are back in the house but the house isn’t finished. It’s a bit problematic. Today, I’m focused on how the remodel continues to impact my efforts to do laundry. To start with, this is supposed to be my master closet. Notice the complete lack of shelving or rods on which to hang clean clothes. Notice the construction materials stored on the floor.