#I need more storage bins and shelves

[copperbadge]

[ID: My shower, tiled in ugly but functional brown, with the shower curtain off to one side; fixed to the ceiling is an oblong LED lamp, shining brightly down into the shower.]

Forgot to post this yesterday! That's the new little lamp I've installed in the shower for better lighting, and actually it looks kinda cool.

It doesn't work, but it looks cool. :D

I shouldn't say it doesn't work because obviously it's lit up in the photo, but it's not serving its purpose. An overhead light in that space is too high up for me to easily switch on manually, so I bought one with motion detection. In theory, when you get in, the shower the light will flick on.

In practice, the motion detection only detects a change of light, not actual movement (it's meant, I think, for something more like a garage, where when you open the door to go in, the ambient light you've let in makes it go on). The result is that in order to get it to turn on, one has to perform a kind of magical summoning ritual consisting of flicking the bathroom lights off and on, and it won't stay on unless the rest of the bathroom is dark, which defeats the point.

It was a $7 lamp, so I'm not overly annoyed. The pricier option (all of I think about $20) has a remote control, so I might go that route, but I also know of a brand with better motion sensing, so I may order from there.

Today's cleaning was mostly a form of rearranging furniture. I don't want my laundry hamper at the foot of my bed anymore -- it crowds the room and looks ugly on my video calls. I've moved it to the hall closet opposite the bathroom, but that meant shifting the storage bins already there and the majority of the lightweight jackets hanging above them. The bins mostly went into the bedroom closet, replacing a shelf I moved out of the closet and may donate, except for one open bin with the camping supplies, which I need to repack and find a home for. Right now there's just a nook of my living room that's "storage staging"; sometimes you just gotta get messier before you get cleaner.

In any case, that took about 30 minutes of a Behind The Bastards episode (The History Of American Masculinity, Pt. 1) and I'm taking it easy because I'm still battling a sinus infection, which is the reason I didn't scrub the toilet instead because I felt okay to move things around but not to get up close and personal with cleaning products. I took a few measurements of the hall closet (which has no doors) and I'm going to spend the rest of my allotted cleaning time on the sofa under an electric blanket, shopping for an appropriate set of shelving to replace what's currently there and make better use of the space. (I was tempted to try and convert it into a micro-office like you saw in trendy magazines early in the pandemic, but I prefer my office setup with a little more natural light.)

[hometoursandotherstuff]

This 2003 estate in Calabasas, CA is an amazing modern rustic retreat. It has 5bds, 8ba, and it's a whopping $19.95M.

The living room is gigantic. it's not sunken, it's elevated, has a double fireplace that includes a large log storage bin.

Look at all the seating areas.

And, right around the corner from the living room, there's another seating area with a another huge fireplace.

You can see the 2 fireplaces back-to-back.

Large built-in bench seat that looks like it can accommodate about 10, plus 4 chairs.

The kitchen is a chef's kitchen. The stainless steel island looks like it has an operating room light over it.

More formal dining area.

Gorgeous. Lighted shelving all the way up the stairs.

Beautiful railings and architectural features.

Serious home office looks like there's a business here.

The large primary bedroom has 2 lounges for relaxing, reading, etc.

It has some lovely mood lighting.

Nice closet- everything's enclosed.

The en-suite has a makeup vanity and a comfy chair.

A proper estate needs outbuildings.

And, a classy horse stable.

There's a private pool with a cabana and bath, but I don't think that this is it. It looks more like a water feature.

Estates also need to have tennis courts.

And, this is the poshest coop I've ever seen. It's like a 2 fl. apt. building with chickens on the 1st fl. and pigeons on the 2nd.

Lots of spaces for the horses, includes 2 corals.

Not sure what this is. They also have goats and ducks.

I could never understand what a gated entrance does when the rest of the property is open.

Very large 18.87 acre property.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/715-Crater-Camp-Dr-Calabasas-CA-91302/20553345_zpid/

[ofstarsandvibranium]

My Sweetheart: Part 7

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Summary: You purchase a vintage sweetheart bracelet from an antique store and with it, comes the spirit of the woman who owned it. Through her, you go on an interesting journey to find out what happened to her old lover.

Series Masterlist

The next time you see Bucky is when he's scheduled to come in. Alongside him is Yelena and Kamala. Alpine happens to be hanging on your shoulder, so when Bucky walks in, Alpine jumps from your shoulder to the front counter.

Bucky chuckles and picks up the white kitten, "Hey, buddy," the kitten meows and nuzzles into Bucky's neck.

"He was being a little fussy earlier today. He pooped all over himself and we had to bathe him. He wasn't having any of it, but we got through it."

Bucky looks at the kitten, "You being a little stubborn, Al?"

"Think you're rubbing off on him," Yelena says with a smirk, patting the white kitten's head.

Bucky rolls his eyes, "Don't think I've rubbed off on him that much yet." He then turns to you and softly smiles, "So, what's on the agenda boss?"

You check your watch, "It's about lunch time so divide and conquer. Take out and feed half. The ones out and eating need their enclosures cleaned. I'll need some help sorting donations we just received."

"I'll help you," Yelena immediately spoke up, which caused Bucky and Kamala to look at her with raised brows. She shrugged, "What? I like being helpful."

"Well okay. Kamala, Bucky, you guys know where the food and cleaning supplies are, right?"

"We got it, Captain!" she salutes to you and nudges Bucky to follow.

You politely smile at him and point at the kitten on his shoulder, "I assume I can trust you with Alpine?"

He shoots you a grin, "Of course!" his smile fades and then he looks concerned. He rubs the back of his neck "but, uh, you good? I'm sorry but you look a little frazzled today."

You can't help but laugh a little at his statement and you rub your forehead, "Yeah. Today's already been a long day and I've been here for only three hours."

Bucky steps closer, "Anything I can do to help?"

You give him a soft smile and place a hand on his shoulder, "You being here helps." Realizing how it sounds you immediately retract your hand and clear your throat, "I-I mean, you guys, like, you, Kamala, and Yelena being here helps. Extra hands means more stuff gets done and what not."

He smirks at you, "Right. Got it, but, uh, if there's anything you need, you let me know? Or, uh, Yelena or Kamala. We're always here to help."

You nod and nudge him, "Thanks, Bucky. I appreciate it."

Yelena clears her throat and you two completely forgot she was still there. You and Bucky step away from each other and you turn to Yelena, "Uh, follow me to the back and we can start sorting everything."

The blonde nods and turns to Bucky as you start walking away, "Smooth, Barnes."

He rolls his eyes, "Shut it, Lena." He turns on his heel and goes to join Kamala in the cat room.

___________________

Yelena helps you sort out the donations of food, beds, towels, etc. in the storage room. There's a comfortable silence as you two work. There's occasional grunts and sighs as you lift things onto shelves. You two eventually pause for some water and that's when Yelena decides to ask you, "So I hear you're being haunted."

You snort, "Yeah, I guess you can say that." You sigh and place a bag of dog food onto a shelf. You sit on a bin and explain, "I bought a bracelet from an antique store and turns out, the spirit of Bucky's girlfriend from the forties is still attached to it. In order for her to pass on, I need to help her with her unfinished business. At first, I thought it was just for her to see Bucky one last time, but she switched things up on me," you say with a chuckle and you feel a flick to your ear. You pout, "Quit it, Dot."

Yelena's brows rise, "Do you see her or something?"

You shake your head, "She flicked my ear. And, uh, she kinda goes wherever I go as long as I wear the bracelet," you hold up the vintage jewelry.

Yelena nods, "That's beautiful. I can understand why you wanted to buy it."

"Yeah. Apparently Bucky purchased it and gave it to Dot before he left for the war. After Dot passed, I guess the bracelet got passed around and eventually ended up in the antique store I like going to."

"It's funny how big yet small the world can be. Who'd have thought that a bracelet can bring the Avengers into your life?" Yelena asks with a playful grin.

You laugh, "I for sure didn't expect meeting the Avengers or having a ghost companion when I bought it," you look at the bracelet on your wrist, "but, honestly, I don't regret it. It's made my life a little more interesting and it's brought more help to the shelter," you wink at the blonde Avenger and she snorts.

__________________

As Kamala is wiping down an enclosure, she speaks up, "Is it me or did Y/N look a little-"

"I know. I talked to her," Bucky says as he wipes down another one of the cat's enclosures.

Kamala stops to fully face him with a smile on her face, "You talked to her?"

He rolls his eyes at the young Avenger not stopping his task and wanting to face her, "It was a friendly gesture."

"What did you say?"

He shrugs, "Just that if she ever needs anything to just ask."

"Ask you?" Kamala asks with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Again, he rolls his eyes, "Ask me, you, Yelena, any of us."

"Riiiight. Right. Got it." She doesn't say anything else after that and Bucky's relieved. He just wants to get his task done. He checks behind him to see if Alpine is still there. The white cat still eating on the floor along with the other few cats.

Two hours later it's around lunch time and you gather them all together in your office.

"So I ordered some pizza for us!"

"NICE!" Kamala cheers and immediately grabs a slice and moans in delight.

Bucky smiles in appreciation, "You didn't have to do this."

You shrug, "I was craving it and I'm sure the Avengers need to take a break and eat too right?"

You put out some foldable chairs out in your office and you settle in one. Bucky sits in the one near you and an invisible force pushes you closer to his side. You and everyone else in the room pause for a moment with wide eyes.

You're not sure what to say or do but then Bucky bursts out into a chuckle and everyone looks at him in surprise.

He shakes his head, "Dot's being mischievous still?"

"You have no idea," you say with a smirk before biting into your pizza.

[starakex]

Costume Tetris: Storing stuff when you have no storage space

I just cleaned up my cosplay storage space recently and really optimized it down, so I thought I'd share a couple of tips on how I maximize the world's tiniest closet to somehow store most of my costumes, tools and materials.

So disclaimer: despite what I've just said, unfortunately not everything is in the one closet. I've got almost 15 years of cosplay stuff in my teeny tiny home to cram down, so some things end up elsewhere. I try to keep all my crafting materials and tools in this closet, as well as most costumes, with a priority to those currently in rotation for the year to be worn. Some of my tools are in small bins under a desk, and whatever other costumes that don't fit are bagged, folded and squeezed in the corner of another closet where they can occupy otherwise unusable nooks and crannies. My sewing machine is stored with other house tools so I don't risk clobbering myself on the head pulling it off the shelves.

The most important function of this space is easy access to anything I need ASAP, so garments, accessories/props, fabrics, makeup and the majority of my tools are stored inside. Let's take a look!

This closet can be broken down into 5 parts; the top shelf with bags of bulky costumes, the left shelves with compartmentalized bits in boxes and bags, the suspended fabric shelf containing materials and pieces of current craft projects, the garment bags on the right, and the big ol' bins on the bottom. The whole thing is graced by an IKEA LED Bar that I can either plug into an extension cable or just slap my Power Bank on if I'm lazy. (I'm lazy.) Either way, I'm never in there long enough to need a more permanent solution for lighting.

1. Bag Your Bulky Costumes!

This one is my favorite. I have a couple fursuit-type costumes now, and I found that Ikea has some really nice bags that work super well for storing bulkier, weirdly shaped pieces. In my case, each bag contains the equivalent of a mini-partial (Head, Tail, Paws), and they all feature handles that make it easy to grab-n-go the whole thing in one swoop. It keeps them out of dust's way too, which is a huge concern of mine. I'd likely store armor builds in these bags, if I actually still made those, with a bit of silk/gift paper in between the pieces to prevent the painted foam from sticking together. These bags can be stored out of the way, which prevents more fragile costume pieces from being crushed and warped over time. I think many types of bags could work for this purpose, but my favorites are Ikea's Görsnygg and Knalla. As a bonus, they have little spaces where you can put a little picture of the contents!

2. Box your bits!

Not much to say on these, as it's pretty self-explanatory; Sort your stuff into smaller boxes so everything stays together. My tip here is to get creative with the boxes you use; not everything can be solved with a slew of matching plastic bins from the dollar store! To really maximize the space (and my wallet), I also use a lot of repurposed containers, like these old jewelry chests, and takeout containers (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!) Avoid cardboard if possible; they don't do much to protect your items from mold or pests. If that's all you have, it's better than nothing as a temporary storage solution until you find sturdier options.

In this picture, I've got all my electronics in a sturdy old jewelry case, a fragile half-mask and a bunch of print cotton in dollar store bins, and a bunch of ribbons and bias tapes in some old plastic takeout containers. I then jam some bulky crafting materials in the awkward space under the clothes bar since nothing else currently fit into the space.

3. Free Up Your Desk!

So making a cosplay is often a long process. In most cases, it takes more than a day, and if you're anything like me, your lack of space extends to more than just storage. I work on my dining table or my work desk and I need those to eat and work. In my case, my fabric bin (we'll get to that) is harder to access, so I've got a hanging organizer shelf on the clothes bar with a lot of spaces to sort different pieces over. Unless I'm painting something or working on a very large piece, I can just cram everything in there out of the way to pull it back out when I get back to working on the costume. It's super versatile; I also store some spare storage bags and my apron in there, and if it's a convention day I can set everything up to be easily found in the morning as I get ready. It won't work for everyone, obviously, but it helps me keep my space organized so I don't have to sacrifice eating on a table for a month.

4. Garment, Garment on the Wall

These ones are also self-explanatory, to be fair. A Garment bag, for those unfamiliar, is a protective fabric of plastic sleeve you slip over a hanger to protect the garment inside. There's different sizes available, and many of them zip on the front. Some cosplay pieces are just best stored this way, especially if they don't risk stretching the fabric out from gravity while hung up. Whenever possible I try stuffing every fabric piece of a costume in there, using multiple mix-and-matched hangers if needed (On the left bag here, there's a large coat and two undershirts on one hanger, and pants and a sash on a second hanger with integrated clothespins. The entire costume without accessories!) In the picture below, there's an entire Monster Hunter armor in one bag, with the flat armor pieces hanging out at the bottom of the garment bag.

You can get really optimized with this storage option; just be mindful of the total weight of everything you're storing this way, as plastic hangers will bend under too much weight (or, tragically, your bar might give under too many costumes. I've heard some stories)

5. Big Bins for Big Storage

Large plastic bins are the workhorse of my storage. The leftmost one under the shelf contains all my fabric, folded and rolled to take as little space as possible. When you're this limited in fabric space, I recommend buying versatile fabrics that can be easily reused, selling or donating extras you haven't found a use for in years to other cosplayers, and, if you're particularly short on space, planning your next costume in such a way you can make a dent in your leftovers by using them up. The other bin contains pretty much every accessory of prop for every costume I have in the house, even the currently unused ones. After having accidentally lost or crushed one too many item due to improper storage, this is my favorite way to store all those weird costume bits. This is where Cosplay Tetris comes in.

The Bin contains a whole slew of boxed, bagged and free-floating items crammed in as neatly as possible. There's props. There's accessories. There's wigs and hats. There's entire garments in there, too. In a lot of cases it's repurposed shipping bags and takeout containers all over again. The key to avoiding damage is filling up the space between bulkier or fragile pieces with soft items like those wigs or garments. Some examples:

Certain costumes are simple enough that storing them on a hanger in a garment bag would be overkill. Enki Ankarian's robes are easy to iron, so the entire costume is smashed into a shoe bag from Ikea. I also have a ridiculously heavy robe for another costume that would stretch and warp if stored on a hanger, so bagged and binned it is, too.

I have a whole slew of very small props (under 10cm wide) stored in old takeout containers, with silk/gift paper to prevent the more fragile paint jobs from getting scratched up. Little jewelry or weird pieces like Madoka's Soul Gem get further stored in smaller boxes inside to really protect them.

As most of my wigs use little to no hairspray to style them, the majority of my wigs are just stored in bags. I have a box on the shelves dedicated to storing all my wigs, but some of the unstyled ones end up in the accessory bin as padding, saving some space in the wig box for more fragile hairstyles. Here I jammed Ingo's wig and accessories into the hat so that it would keep its shape in the bin while really maximizing the space usage.

Finally, I keep an itemized list of every single item in this bin as a quick reference, that way I can tell where everything is at a glance. The list gets updated whenever something is added to this storage.

6. So, What's Next?

At the end of the day, this is about as optimized as I can get with the space I have. There are some other ways to gain some space, of course (I store a couple of costume pieces in with my regular clothes, like binders or plain shirts or sports underlayers), but as some point you will inevitably run out of space. At this point, the only solution is to empty it out a little.

I gave some tips for making a dent in the fabric stash, and the same can be applied to unused materials like EVA Foam or Worbla or Upholstery Foam, but at some point you're probably going to have to part with some of the older costumes to make space for the new ones. And that's okay! I'll admit it's a bit easier for me when the costume is damaged beyond repair, or I just no longer fit in it. You can, obviously, sell them on secondhand cosplay groups, or donate them. Unfortunately sometimes parts will be so damaged you might have to just throw them away, but that doesn't mean you have to throw the whole costume out with it! Keep whatever's still wearable and either sell/donate those individual parts or repurpose them for another costume, if possible (this is usually easiest with things like wigs or plain garments)

I hope this weird impromptu tour of my cosplay closet can give some storage ideas to those who, like me, don't have a proper dedicated workshop for the hobby! (Lord knows that's probably most of us in this economy)

[dollsonmain]

hahah yay

I need MORE plants to be more like my IRL house (just not any dead ones.... >.>)

Still closes just fine. I didn't secure the plants in at all and didn't even open the "dirt" bag. I'm not sure how well that would age and if it might ruin stuff over time.

Need more stuff for the fireplace room. I have more candles but I don't want them all the same height. I'll keep looking for little stands and things to put them on.

Instead of doing the candle activity I dumped all of the scented pellets into the nubbly jar and taped the lid on so they don't spill.

Put the twine from the terrarium set with the other crafting stuff.

Need more crafting stuff.

Hey, MGA, I need a plastic bin full of embroidery floss in 1/6th scale pls.

And lots of paint.

hehehehehehe

I think I should put some of the Mini Brands shelving in this crib cubby and use it as "storage".

Double sided tape does NOT want to stick to those boxes...

[oh-katsuki]

for the ask game: tendou satori with the forced proximity trope?? (flirting but sfw)

moans out loud. i love love LOVE this hnggggg. NOT GONNA LIE THO im finding it SO difficult to keep my thoughts sfw im so-

send me a character and a fic idea / trope and ill write a snippet of it!

cw: flirting, consensual touching but it's sfw kinda....., forced proximity trope, tendou flirts with reader when they can't go anywhere (but we're into it OBVIOUSLY), uhhh mentions of his creepiness being hot (it is), this is not as sfw as i intended and i apologize for that... nothing happens tho... but im still sorry for being a degenerate.

it's bad luck. that's all that it is. you happened to be grabbing some art supplies from your university's storage closet and tendou happened to show up needing some paintbrushes for some banners a few minutes later. it's an unfortunate coincidence that the door closed behind him, leaving you both locked in and without a key.

the closet you both sit in now is no more than 5 meters across and 5 meters deep, wall to wall. there are shelves taking up even more of that minimal space and in the middle of the room is a bin full of rolled newspaper used for sketching. both you and tendou are a little too close for comfort. even when you stand on opposite ends of the room, your knees still touch in the middle.

he's got his hands buried deep in his pockets, pressing them down so that the fabric pulls around them. every now and then, he will look up and you and offer a sly grin over the apples of his cheeks. you think he seems remarkably relaxed for the situation.

you're not uncomfortable because you don't like tendou. in fact, it's most likely the opposite. you think that part of it is owed to the fact that you do like him. mostly though, tendou creeps you out just a little. his big, heavily-creased eyes, his thin upper lip and the way it curls up in the corners when he smiles. you feel like, if you were to look at him in the dark, his eyes would glow.

there's just something about him that raises the hair at the back of your neck. what's worse is that you don't dislike it. in fact, he creeps you out just enough that it's kind of hot. the way he hunches over himself across from you, hands shoved into his pockets, makes for a posture you find difficult to look away from.

"staring?" he says, his eyes still trained at the ceiling above him.

"huh?" you snap out of it, shaking your head as if that would hide the fact that you were caught.

"it's fine," he grins, looking down at you. his lips curl in the corners in that characteristic way and he gives you a knowing smile. "you can look all you want."

"i wasn't staring," you pout slightly, crossing your arms over your chest. he makes you feel so exposed.

"mmm, you sure?" tendou pushes off of the wall in front of him, taking a single step toward you. "kinda seems like you want to look at me."

you scoff a little, laughing and avoiding looking at him. if you did, your noses would be less than an inch apart. "well, there's not much else in here to look at."

tendou's eyes drop down to the neckline of your shirt and then back up to your face. "i think there's stuff to look at."

when you don't answer, tendou gives you space to breath and leans back against the shelf he'd been sitting on. his knee knocks yours as he settles.

you calm the heat rising on your face, chewing the inside of your mouth as you try top calm the way you drip with desire.

"hey," he says, tiling his chin forward.

"what?"

"you like me?" he asks plainly, tilting his head to the side.

everything about his mannerism is odd, right down to the casual way he pops the question. you widen your eyes and refuse to answer, looking up to the ceiling with am embarassed sigh.

"i like you," he says, stepping forward and giving you a lopsided grin as he steps across the space again, crouched so that he's eye-level. "i think you're interesting. easy to play with. you wanna play with me, doll?"

so fucking weird. you clench your thighs together. tendou tilts his head to the side like a predator watching it's prey. playing with his food. you nod slowly, wanting so desperately to "play" that it makes you feel crazy.

"let's play then," he says, placing his hands on the side of your hips and stepping between your now parted legs.

you pant lightly under his gaze, pressing your back into the shelf behind you as he makes his way closer to you.

"so pretty..." he murmurs to himself.

then, from the other side of the door, you hear the distinct sound of footsteps. his mouth is no farther than an inch from yours, but he turns his head to face the door before tilting it sideways to give you a mock sad smile.

"looks like this might have to wait," he clicks his tongue, not stepping back from you before he calls, "hey! could someone open the door?"

you blink up at him as someone exclaims softly on the other side and he steps away from you at the last moment. they open the door and you recognize the man as someone from the volleyball team. their eyes flit between you and the odd man beside you before they let out a breath.

"dude!" he says, "have you been in here the whole time?"

"heyyyyy, thanks," he drawls, giving him a smile and clapping him on the back. "we really thought we were done for."

"coach is going crazy," the second boy adds.

tendou just shrugs in response, sticking his tongue out a little and tossing you a sideways wink. you shrivel into yourself. even the way he interacts with his friends is creepy.

"well," he sighs, stretching his arms above his head. "let's play later, 'kay?"

you nod, eyebrows furrowed as you try to gather what just happened. tendou blushes and gives you a little smile before he loops his arm around his friend's neck and starts walking out of the door.

"they play volleyball?" you hear his friend ask.

"nah," tendou responds. you can hear the distinct sound of his smirk as he does.

it sends a rush of heat to your face and stomach. so fucking creepy.

[upismediacenter]

LITERARY: in ten years' time

Ten years from now, I’ll be moving into an apartment. 

To be honest, I’m scared that I simply won't know what to do with an apartment when most of my life has been spent inside my bedroom. I might feel lonely. I've never had to fill such a big space.

Hold up—maybe I need to imagine a bit for the whole thing to make sense. 

My apartment will have three rooms: the huge main room with the living, kitchen, and dining areas, the bathroom, and the bedroom. Personally, I believe that having separation between rooms is necessary for privacy and organization. This arrangement gives me a lot of space to play around with; I hope I won’t get tired of cleaning.

I’ll be living on one of the lower floors, maybe the fifth or sixth—high enough to ride the elevator guilt-free, and low enough to take the stairs and have energy left by the end of it. I’ll be living at the end of the hall, at the corner of the building where there won’t be a lack of windows. I’ll have a lot of natural light in the mornings, and there’ll be more surfaces for me to watch raindrops land and flow down on.

When I arrive at my apartment, after an exhausting night of working at the theater, I’ll stick my keys into the lock then push the door in. As I enter, I’ll first shed my slip-ons at the shoe rack right beside the door then change into a pair of flip flops. Immediately after, with a flip of a switch, the main space will be illuminated with lights that emit a soft, yellowish glow. When I see the whole place lit up, that’s when I’ll know I’m truly home.

The living room won’t have much in terms of the usual furniture—just the usual couch and television. But they won’t be an ordinary couch and TV, definitely! The couches fold out to make beds, which is perfect for sleepovers. The TV mounted on the wall can also swing in different directions for whenever I want to watch from other rooms. I’ll be able to make myself a sandwich and see Gordon Ramsey call someone an idiot sandwich at the same time.

Because of my tendency to accumulate mementos, the living room will probably be the most cluttered space in the house, with different trinkets and decorative pieces on display. There’ll be Taylor Swift vinyls on the walls, framed pictures of me and my loved ones, and posters from various K-Pop albums I’ve collected through the years.  The feature that will dominate the living area will be rows of shelves filled with books and various collectibles, like full five-book sets of Rick Riordan’s series and an army of Pokemon plushies. Maybe I’ll have enough space that the keyboard I have stowed in storage will finally have a home too! 

Since I want to have friends over often, I’ll make sure to keep extra Nintendo Switch Joycons and multiplayer board games to keep them entertained. With time, my living room will be the best place dedicated to making people feel welcomed into my personal space.

Moving away from the living room, I’ll have a dining table. It isn’t much to speak of, but it’s still useful to have. It’s a little pointless when you live alone, considering you can go eat anywhere else, but I will appreciate the extra surface area for when I need to put or lay things down. The more important place that I should be talking about is the kitchen, which will be the place for experiments: finding what tastes good and what makes me comfortable.

On the kitchen counter, there’ll be a vase left empty, just waiting for whenever I get flowers; I could buy some, or maybe… kidding! 

I’ll stock up on the food I enjoy and feel safe eating, and I’ll have fun organizing them in these transparent containers and bins I see all over TikTok. I’ll also be able to cook these recipes that keep showing up on my feed, and check if they’re as easy as I think they are. No, I will not be attempting to make every kind of celebrity mac and cheese. Yes, I will remember to buy vegetables and actually use them in my dishes. That kind of stuff gets better with a lot of practice.

Growing up watching TV shopping channels means that I’ll splurge my adult money on different kitchen appliances. Induction stove, rice cooker, food processor… you name it, I’ll probably have it.

An oven for all the cookies and cakes I’ll crave in the middle of the night and spend three hours making? Check. Those two-door fridges with magnets from different places around the world? Definitely asking my friends to bring me more magnets as souvenirs. A microwave for all the instant food I’ll be cooking when I’m too lazy to cook something healthy? Consider that done. 

And even after having all that, I just know that I’ll bleed my bank account dry with a pricey espresso machine that I’ll try making elaborate drinks with but end up drinking four shots from when I’m working on a project and can’t be bothered to rest. 

My kitchen will make it possible to pleasurably engage all senses and sensations and satiate these different kinds of hunger in the best way possible.

Do I really need to talk about the bathroom? Okay, whatever. Sure, that’s where I can keep all my skincare, hygiene, and cleaning products, but aside from the necessary fixtures, there’s not much else that I want. No, wait—there has to be a tabo, because I’m too used to having one around. Oh, maybe a waterproof Bluetooth speaker too. I enjoy doing concerts in the bathroom, so there’s that. I don’t want to talk about laundry yet—I’ll figure that one out sooner or later.

Anyway, enough talk about the loo. Let’s move to, arguably, my favorite room in the apartment.

My bedroom has always been my personal safe space, and I’m definitely keeping it that way, especially in my own home. This is where I find rest after facing the outside world. This is where I retreat when things get too overwhelming, so no one should be able to disturb me when I am in this room. 

Most of all, I want my bedroom to not only be a place for rest, but also a place for me to develop and evolve. The physically confined space will be the host to limitless mental, emotional, and spiritual growth. This is where I’ll focus all my energy into making myself better, whether it be through exploring research topics, reading for self-help, creating new works—basically doing all the things that I enjoy and find satisfaction doing. 

For starters, I know I don’t need a large bed; maybe I can have a loft with the bed on top and a desk space underneath. I value having a large workspace with quality equipment, so I’ll be rigging up a setup where I can work and game effectively. I’ll invest in a PC that can run Sims 4 on full graphics without burning up and crashing—well, I mean, why else would I have a NASA-level computer if not for the many cozy games I’ll be playing? (Well, some of us want to finish our requirements to complete our master’s degrees.)

Now, onto other things in the room: I’ll have a guitar sitting in the corner, unplayed until I regain the motivation to write songs again. Next to it will be filing cabinets filled with random materials and unfinished projects that I likely won’t touch again as I’ve lost the spark for them. Beside the desk will be a small reading nook with a bean bag and a floor lamp. Lastly, by the door, there’ll be a full-body mirror on which I'll do my fit checks whenever an event requires me to dress up.

Speaking of dressing up, the first step of my capsule wardrobe will be completed, because now, I have an actual wardrobe! I’ll have enough closet space (no, not for me—I’ve been out a while) for my clothes, which I predict will be filled with my default colors: black, white, and navy. I’ll have tiny organizers for all of my bracelets and earrings, which I wear to brighten up my admittedly dull color palette. At the end of the day, all that will be taken off, thrown into the hamper, and replaced by the comfiest pajamas and a fluffy throw blanket. I will then block everyone out with my headphones and disappear into dreamland.

Now that I’ve mapped it all out in my mind, I see what can be done. Being able to visualize what my apartment will look like in the future reassures me. It gives me a clear vision to work towards, and it helps me manifest the best life for myself.

I may have gushed too much about what’s going to be inside my future home, but that's because I'm excited for the freedom and relief that living solo will bring. I admit that for the first few months, it's definitely going to be different in a lot of ways, like not having anyone else around most of the time. Change might be very rattling, even when you’ve prepared for that very moment ten years in advance. That's okay—I’ll manage. I always do. Having my own place might take a bit of getting used to, but I just know that it's the best decision I'll make.

In ten years’ time, I’ll be living and loving my life in my apartment.

[totally-sick-blogger]

How to make a flare-up cart for your bedroom (A step-by-step guide)

As the title suggests, today's blog post will be a more in-depth post about the snack/medical cart I mentioned in my latest post about flare-up tips.

step 1: get cart/storage bin - I personally use one of those white Rubbermaid drawer sets with the 3 clear drawers. There are different widths and mine is the skinnier one but which size you use would depend on what you're putting in it. If the Rubbermaid drawers aren't your preferred or most accessible option you could also use a tiered craft cart, a plastic bin, shelves, or whatever else you want!

step 2: decide what's going into your setup. I'm going to explain this next part using the 3 drawer set up but you can tailor it to your own needs.

Drawer 1: My first drawer is dedicated mainly to medical things such as inhalers, medical tape, gauze, vaseline, and Tylenol. I also keep lip balm and extra masks in there just because they're nice to have.

The majority of my more "important" medical supplies like tubing and daily meds are upstairs in my medical cart which I will likely make a dedicated post to go more in-depth about it.

Drawer 2: For my second drawer I filled it with easy snacks and safe foods. for me, that's things like granola bars, goldfish crackers, teddy grahams, apple sauce pouches, rice chips, rice Krispie cake squares, and sometimes juice boxes. Of course, you can add whatever you want but those are just some ideas. If you have access to a mini fridge you could also add things like precut fruits or cheese sticks (personally I do not)

Bonus tip - if you're 100% tube-fed you could fill the snack drawer with formula

Drawer 3:

My third drawer used to have formula in it, however, I moved the formula so now it's full of beads and string because I find making bracelets to be a really easy low-energy activity for when I'm feeling too unwell to leave my room but don't want to stare at my phone all day.

step 3: find a good spot to keep your set up. mine is in my bedroom because that was the most accessible option for me but if you would rather put yours somewhere else like the living room you totally can; and remember that everything about this setup is 100% customizable to your needs.

As always I hope this helps at least one person and feel free to leave your own suggestions in the comments <3

[snek-panini]

NaClYoHo day 5 is finished. Another light day. I'd planned it to be an intense day of closet-cleaning but had to change tactics.

Today (Nov. 5) I:

-Hung up 3 more wall things. I'm really not trying to make this a whole-month goal but now I've got a streak going and I don't want to lose it. It's kind of fun so I guess we'll see how long I can keep it up.

-Dusted all the stuff on the shelves in the hallway. We keep dvds, some books, and some decorative stuff on these skinny shoulder-high shelves, two wide and two narrow ones. And I knew they needed dusting but it's kind of dark in that hallway. There's a light but we don't turn it on often. So I didn't realize exactly how dusty they were until today and oh man. That was a lot of dust. Good god. I'm covered in it now. But it's done, and I can swiffer it up tomorrow.

-Not a listed task, but the other day when I was cleaning storage bins I was searching for a set of wooden plate stands that I would have sworn were in the bins, and I was really frustrated that I couldn't find them. I found them today, inside a trinket box on one of the hall shelves. No idea why Past Snek thought that was a good idea. But now I can use those to display stuff and store the extras where I thought they were before and not go through that again next time I want one.

Hopefully I'm up for another Big Task Day soon. I feel like the hall closet is laughing at me and I can't let it keep getting away with that.

[creations-by-chaosfay]

It doesn't look like I'll be getting any sewing done. My left hand is starting to hurt, and I've bruised the calloused section (the part I use to push needles through layers of fabric) of my right middle finger. Seeing as it's easier to prevent my hands and wrists with a couple days off, rather than spending weeks waiting for them to recover from severe pain, I'll be spending the next 24-48 hours doing some housecleaning and taking care of my sewing room instead.

In other news, my mom surprised me with a couple air purifiers. I have two tower style air purifiers, but they're noisy even on the lowest setting. One in the bedroom and works well as a white noise machine. The other was in the living room, and ran only at night because the sound was so distracting during the day. The new air purifiers are by Blueair, and are virtually silent. I also noticed a difference within just hours of setting them up. She got me two, and one of them is small enough to fit in my sewing room. The lint and dust from fabric is now disappearing, and it feels much easier to breathe in there now. If you find your sewing space feels dry or dusty, it's the fabric and why sewing and fabric stores feel so dry. I suggest an air purifier for your workspace. Until now, I didn't have one small enough to fit in my very cramped sewing room of 8x10 feet, with a large cutting table, two cube style shelving units with nine blocks each, sewing desk, four sets of plastic drawers, four small storage bins, an ironing board, and a relief mat. I'll take pics of my room if y'all are that interested. At some point, I'll install shelves on the walls for some vertical storage. Currently, the only thing set up on a wall is my cork board where i have notes pinned up.

After I finish at least one more crow quilt, I'll turn my focus to the giveaway prizes I need to complete. When those are done, a stack of panel quilts. Maybe some mini blocks to set up in embroidery rings like holiday tree ornaments? The stack of panel quilts is a must though, for me to practice machine quilting with new frame and machine.

[imaginedreamwrite]

Like My Father: Part 11

A/N: Violence and a few triggering topics/conversation in the second half

“I haven’t spent much time in here.” You observed, trailing your fingertips along the edge of the storage cabinet along the far wall, the rows of books stacked neatly on dark shelves had spines illuminated with silver or gold letters.

Across from the shelves and the storage cabinet were two matching love seats made of soft white leather and dark cotton throw pillows that had been set against the puckered armrests. There was a single folded blanket that had been set in the middle of the couch on the left, the flannel pattern a clashing distinction from the rest of the room.

The desk was stationed near the back of the room, and there were matching storage cabinets behind the desk that matched the dark wood aesthetic.

In the open-faced cabinets were some files that had been set in clear bins, a few framed degrees and other legal forms that would aid Andy and the ‘family’ in general. On the desk was a closed laptop with a phone to the right, the device was connected to the landline and security system that was still used throughout the house.

“Your father did his best to protect you from this world.” Andy had closed the door behind you both, his footsteps muffled on the area rug that sat below the couches and met the edge of the door.

When he had stepped off the area rug onto the hardwood, you had winced softly at the sound that hit your ears with grating irritation. Despite the coffee and the pastry that you had eaten, you were still dealing with the lingering aftereffects of the drugging, and it was affecting you almost as if you were suffering a hangover.

“If he wanted to protect me from this world, then why did he give it to me?” You turned slowly and settled your gaze upon Andy, watching him attempt to keep the noise down as he pulled the rolling leather chair out from under the desk to sit on the cushion.

Even as he had lifted the laptop and began to type on the device, giving whatever credentials he needed to have access, he tried to be quiet. You watched him focus, his eyebrows furrowed and his lips pursed with all the telltale signs of a man who was concentrating on the task at hand like the seasoned lawyer he was.

“Andy,” you stepped forward, drawing yourself nearer to the desk, “do you think my dad made a mistake? Do you think he should have just…married me off?”

Andy had raised his head and looked at you with the same furrowed brows and pursed lips, only instead of being focused and concentrating, he had appeared confused. He leaned forward and rest his elbows on the desk with his fingers intertwined and resting under his chin, he was watching you with intense focus.

He was giving you the entirety of his attention, looking at nothing but you while the facet of emotion in his eyes shifted, and his scent was radiating and pulsating with comfort and ease, he was your alpha and he knew you needed comfort. He was waiting for you to finish, he had every right to cut you off and degrade your worries as an alpha. He could have very well shot you down with an alpha command, one that would have settled in your skin with no chance of ignoring the demand.

He could have overstepped and taken those liberties with you because of the differences in your designations, other alphas had done worse to omegas, and other alphas have demanded more.

“No,” his voice was even and he spoke with unkempt truth.

“Honey, your father would have never done that to you. Your father believed that you could do this. He didn’t want to see you married off to someone who would try and tamper your spirit and that fire. He knew that this whole family, this empire, needed an omega. Despite what everyone else may think, despite what they may all believe, you were purposely chosen for this. Your father didn’t want anyone else to do this, he knew that you could and you would be the only one he would ever give this to.”

“And you? And you all?” You questioned them, even if you had already been reassured of everything. You were in charge now, this was your responsibility and if you had failed it would be your failure.

“We’re all here for you.” Andy had tucked his chin into his chest and drew in a soft breath. “You are ours and we are yours.”

“Everything we do, we do together.”

“If you fail,” Andy had whispered to you, “we all fail. We’re here for you, we’re all here for you.”

You nodded your head and shuffled toward one of the chairs in front of the desk and slowly sat down on the cushioned surface before you tucked your feet under. You had drawn your bottom lip into your mouth and nibbled on your flesh, your eyes captivated by some of the artwork that was on the walls.

There was lingering silence between you two, lingering quietude that had remained comfortable enough for you to be able to focus on the mess in your head and the interior design of the office your father had once loved.

“I don’t understand this, I hate this. This is so stupid.” Your frustration had come out as a huff, and the book in your hands was tossed to the couch.

“You’re not trying.” Ari had gently scolded you from behind the desk, his gaze flickering from the computer to you and your position halfway off the couch.

“I don’t want to try, Ari. I don’t want to try. I want to forget this and get ice cream.” You turned your head and blew out a puff of air, annoyed while rolling your eyes when he laughed and shook your head.

“Nice try, finish your homework.”

“Blowhard.” You muttered under your breath and pushed yourself back on the couch, flopping down on the cushions and then you reached under your back and removed the book from where it was trapped.

“You can have ice cream when you’re done.” Ari had relayed the hopefulness when you had opened the book and held it above your face, however, you were far less interested in reading as you were pressing him for a few ins and outs of the business.

Before you could even open your mouth to speak, the office door had flown open with a large crash and a man was dropped to the carpet uncouthly. Ari immediately stood and walked around the front of the desk, tension in his shoulders and back as he moved toward the door.

“Get him the fuck out of here.” Ari had hissed, standing between you and the man laying on the carpet, blocking you from seeing what was going on while his scent and the prowess of his designation had kept you frozen in place.

“Ari-“

“Now!” He growled and shoved one of your father’s men back, only briefly glancing over his shoulder toward you and then he looked away. “Get him the fuck out of here, now.”

The limp man was lifted from the floor and the door was slammed with a solid thud that rattled a few pictures on the wall. Stunned silence had fallen between you two, your mouth opened and closed a few times as you fought for any words to become vocalized. There was so much you wanted to know and ask, so much you wanted to dive into but no words would form on your tongue.

At least, not until Ari had turned and ran his fingers through his hair. “You wanna skip this and get ice cream?”

“Uhh…yeah. Yeah.” You snapped the book shut and discarded it, quick to stand and shuffle toward him.

“Good, get your things.”

Brick and mortar were the perfect substance to act as the grater for skin and bone. It was a single strike that had him sent flying into the rough surface, and the cry that followed hit their ears. Neither one was apologetic, neither one had any qualms about spilling blood and cutting flesh, not when they had questions that needed to be answered.

“You have two minutes.”

“I don’t know! I don’t know! I don’t-“ Their target had cried in protest, pleading with them despite being one of the men on shift when the bottles had been filled and corked.

The local brewery and winery had been a favourite of their guests, and until now it had been without fail. Until the moment someone had slipped roofies into the bottles before they were corked, there was never a doubt for the local favourite.

“You were here, you knew something.”

“There are cameras! Check the cameras!” He squealed and drew in a sharp breath when Ari lifted him from the ground and held him against the wall.

Ari had looked back at Nick as he began unsheathing one of his favourite knives, the glint of the metal surface reflecting the sun’s rays.

“We already checked the cameras and they were found faulty. Now, you were on shift and everyone you work with has thrown you under the bus. You can either tell us who gave you the brilliant idea or Nick will start cutting nonessential pieces off of you.”

“I’m starting with his dick, he doesn’t need it.” Nick had stepped toward the target and turned the knife in his hands, allowing the decrepit man to visually see the weapon that was going to be used on him.

“He’s losing patience, now-“

“I don’t know! I don’t know his name! Please, fuck-!” He whimpered in Ari’s tight hold, his feet dangling above the ground as the inability to breathe had become stronger when Ari tightened his hand around his throat.

“I got a message, a text asking if I want to make some money. I was told to spike the drink and send it to the party, I didn’t know-“

“He’s lying, you’re lying. You better start telling the truth or you’ll find yourself missing an invaluable piece.” Nick had stood on the other side of Ari, his fingers wrapped tightly around the hilt of the knife.

“I can usually make it easy on a person but for you-“ Nick glinted, he had tilted his head and cast his darkening blue eyes upon the quaking prick.

“I’m telling the truth! I swear! I have the message, I have-“ he shook in Ari’s hands, quaking and whining as he begged for release.

“The message is gone.” Ari’s fingers flexed, and his hand tightened as the man attempted to claw and strike at him.

“It was an alpha!” His hands loosened on his body, his mouth parted as he hastily sucked in air. “AN ALPHA!”

“What alpha?” Nick’s jaw clenched, the veins in his neck protruding as a settled force of rage was starting to course in his body. “What fucking alpha?”

“O-one who was b-betting on having your bitch-“

“Cut out his tongue.” Ari dropped the quim to the ground, allowing Nick to step forward and press the blade of the knife against his lips.

“You should mind how you speak to her. She has a lot of power at her fingertips.”

“I-its not m-me. It’s his words.” He raised his hands in protest, begging Nick and Ari for mercy. “He called her a bitch. He said that he was expecting to bed the bitch and inherit it all.”

“Cut off his dick and his tongue.” Ari’s clear and crisp voice heralded his calm fury. He was pissed beyond all measure but he was controlled, his anger was bedded down under great restraint.

“I told you everything! I told you everything I know!” He pleaded with Nick, his voice getting muffled when a dirty rag was shoved into his mouth.

“Keep your hands still, I don’t want you dying from this.” Nick placed his foot on the target’s chest and cut away the fabric of his jeans, exposing his withering dick to the open air.

“You know,” Nick raised his head and locked eyes with their prey, “we’re not just doing this for our boss. We know things about you, a lot of dirty details that your rich daddy had covered up.”

“You like them young, don’t you?” Ari spat at him, disgusted and vigorously pissed off at the sick man trapped against the ground. “You need to learn how not to fuck with vulnerable people.”

His cries came as Nick pressed the tip of the knife against the poor bastard’s flesh, drawing a few pebbles of blood.

“Trust me, this is good for everyone.” Nick pressed harder, he worked the blade over and over like he intended while their target thrashed and screamed into the cloth.

Nick had stood back once his first task was done, cutting off the ill-gotten member and wrapping it in a cloth. He had stared down at the weeping target, Nick’s lips stretching into a smirk before he whistled for Ari.

“You need to be marked, you need to wear your charges so everyone knows.” Nick grabbed his right arm and lifted it while Ari helped him hold the bastard down.

He pressed the knife to flesh again and carved out the disgusting and revolting word into his forearm, marking him permanently with the engrained and damning charge.

“Now everyone will know what a piece of shit you are.” Nick wiped the blood off the knife and spat it on their victim’s body. “You disgusting fucking pedophile.”

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[nancypullen]

Well, Hey There!

Gosh, I let the last few days get away from me and this poor ol' blog paid the price. I don't even have anything exciting to report, I've just been puttering - a bit in the yard, a bit in the house, even did a little Xmas shopping, but mostly a whole lot of nothing.

A decision was made that we would not be joining the Y, so I'm trying to discipline myself into at least a 30 minute dance workout every day. Let's just say I'm not very disciplined. There's a treadmill in the garage that works perfectly fine and I really don't mind turning on some music or a podcast and killing 30 minutes on it. Unfortunately I can always find something else that I want to do more - like reading, painting, watching a murder show, writing limericks, picking fuzz out of my navel, watching clouds, naming birds at the birdfeeder...see? Busy, busy. Speaking of that treadmill, until recently it was blocked by that desk/hutch combo that I bought at an auction for 7 dollars.

I finally painted it and got it moved into my craft room!

I'm still organizing it and will probably switch the items on the shelves until I'm satisfied. I'll move that basket out from under the desk too. I suppose it's the lighting, but the handles and knobs really do match. Know what my favorite bit is?

The bottles.

Those are just old Starbucks bottles. I painted the lids with the same paint I used on the desk and then sorted my buttons into them. I need a couple more for black and brown, so I have to keep drinking.

I'm tickled with the extra storage (the drawers are so tidy!) and I love it when organization can be pretty.

The drawers have glues, scissors, blank cards & envelopes, cardstock for printing my dead people, etc. The shelves hold everything else I use for my silly cards.

My paper is sorted in those clear bins on the right - I only bought four, so it's sorted into florals, patterns, holidays, and "special" stuff like maps, sheet music, and that sort of thing. I didn't have to buy anything else, the baskets and stuff were hanging around the house waiting for a job to do. The wooden crate holding markers, colored pencils, and paint pens was gifted to me from Tyler & Jamie's wedding.

Remember that Goodwill print that I was turning into a witchy picture? I finally stopped dabbling with it and put it back in the frame. First I painted the frame black, and because I ruined the original mat (oops) I had to fish around and find one that would work. Nothing I had on hand fit the print and I wasn't about to buy a new mat, so I edged the print with gingham and lace (my answer for everything) and slapped it in the frame.

Poor photography skills, but you get the idea. What was once a prim and proper street scene is now giving Halloween vibes. now it can go into the back of a closet with the rest of them. Why do I do this?? I should take them all and donate them back to Goodwill and let them find homes. I'm home alone. For the last two days Mickey has been out day and night snapping photos of Summerfest, Denton's big bash marking the end of summer. I hope Mother Nature sees it and turns the heat down. It's been drizzling on and off today, so I'm sure everything is steamy. No, thank you. Hard pass. There will be a handful of vendors selling stuff I don't need, no decent food or food trucks, a decent selection of bands playing at different times and on different stages, a great area for kids with slides and bouncy houses, and at the end of the night, fireworks. I may go sit on the front porch later and take a peek at the fireworks. I was spoiled by attending the Wilson County Fair every August , that was always the official goodbye to summer for us, even though the weather didn't break until a month later. Annnd speaking of weather, I saw that The Old Farmers' Almanac issued their winter forecast. I was disappointed.

We're up there under "Mild,Wet". Every year I cross my fingers for "Cold, Above Average Snowfall" and it never happens. Thanks to Climate Change I think it's going to become rare if not extinct.

Oh well, I need to tidy up a bit and then choose a movie to watch with the girls. This is who I mean by "the girls."

They keep begging for the BBC version of Jane Austen's Persuasion, so it looks like tonight is the night. I'll try to think of something more interesting to write about tomorrow. The rest of the week may be a wash. We're getting the grandgirl on Monday and returning her Thursday, so I'll be busy and tired. It's her last week before school starts so there needs to be some fun. She's had a great summer, vacation and camps, but we'll have some Grancy-style fun. Look at these cute sprinkles I picked up for back-to-school cupcakes. Perfect for a first grader!

I'll have to see if there's a movie playing that she might be interested in, and I'll bet she'd like to go on a treasure hunt in Target with me. The rest of the time it will be Barbies, pool, books, and probably some arts and crafts. The only things that she requested I add to the grocery list (I asked) are apples, pretzels, and pizza Lunchables. I have a feeling her parents may want me to get some veggies and good protein into her. Grandpa sees nothing wrong with that list. If I turn my back he'll have her at the 7-11 getting a blue Icee right before dinner. Anywayyyy, I'm rambling. I'll wrap this up by saying that I hope your Saturday evening is a delight. If that means running wild with friends or being in your jammies by sundown, I hope you love every minute of it. Sending out loads of love tonight. Take what you need and pass it on. Stay safe, stay well. XOXO, Nancy

[dollsonmain]

I'm trying really hard to not spend money that I don't need to spend unless it's something that will absolutely make life easier for me like considering switching to the disposable toilet brush for a mostly unused toilet.

But.

There are other things that would help me a lot down in the basement with storage and organization, like a big rack of holding bins for things that I'm planning to sell.

Right now the boxes of Barbies are just strewn around the floor, taking up a ton of space. The other things I have already set aside to sell are laid out on that closet door over some inaccessible bins. That would work better if it were storage racks, and being able to store things vertically would clear out more floor space.

I would like to get a handful of racks like these:

But those are kind of pricey. And ugly.

But I could spread out the ponies and things on the shelves and put boxes or bins to hold things. It would be ugly, but much more functional.

.... I could afford the two pack I think. But that would require me finding a place for the stuff that's underneath the closet door, which is 4 enormous plastic bins full of very heavy things that came from That Guy's grandparents' estate and technically belong to his sister, and a bunch of my BJD boxes and shippers.

I'm not opposed to plastic, but pony feet like to dissolve things, and I do need them to be flat so none of that plastic grating stuff.

[dionysus-is-my-dude]

it only took a month and now we're finally working on the art room. I've pretty much got one side cleaned up, things thrown away and things ready to be donated or sold online. Found out i have a black diamond Disney VHS tape that might be worth a pretty penny, so that'll go up on Ebay or something. i sold my art easels and finally cleaned up that corner, throwing away the plastic tarp and getting rid of all the paint and mini canvases in a little brown storage unit, and now it's got my black circle chair and candles on the storage unit. That's where i'll play video games on my switch now.

still need to work on the middle area of the room. it's got a whole bunch of stuff that i'm hoping will sell online, plus a big tub of soil for plants, and an old piano bench that will now hold terrariums and some more autumn/halloween decor like the rest of the room. the two bigger shelving units are chock full of stuff that i'd need another day to go through and choose what to sell, donate, or throw away. and there's a small desk that will be where I keep all my polymer clay supplies and where i'll sculpt and paint whatever i make.

i've got a bunch of jars and little wooden chests full of random crap from a couple years ago when i was really big into the cottagecore clutter aesthetic, so i've got stuff full of buttons and thimbles and a whole bunch of junk that'll never get used and is there just for decoration. but i wanna get rid of most of that stuff and replace them with...idk, more autumn/halloween decor? or mini storage bins to hold...stuff? i don't know. right now i'm focusing on throwing things away and gathering things to either sell online or donate to local thrift shops. BUT, it already looks so much nicer with the plant stuff organized and put away.

y'all, i can't stress enough how helpful the pomodoro technique has been for me when it comes to cleaning. I set it so each pomo is 15 minutes, and then i take a 5 minute break in-between until i do four pomos, and then it's a 15 minute break before jumping back into things. before i started using this timer, i would push myself for HOURS to clean up. but now i utilize the timer to take breaks without losing my flow. if you find yourself having this problem with just going hard and not taking adequate breaks, download a pomodoro timer. it's LIFE CHANGING

[typicalopposite]

writing prompts? i gotchu

destiel but cas works in a reptile shop and they meet because his burmese python escaped and was sitting in the sun by the window

I am so sorry this took so long! I kept getting TOO into it and trying to make it a full length fic! (which may still happen one day! lol) but here you go :) hope you like it!

So there are three things everyone in town knows about Rainbow Reptiles: 1.) It is run by Castiel Novak (quiet guy, very awkward, but still friendly). 2.) On Wednesday’s the store closes for an hour so Castiel can clean Lilith’s enclosure . 3.) Lilith is Castiel’s Burmese Python. (She is jet black, 18 years old, and 18 feet long, and as big around as a basketball)

~~~

Castiel is in the backroom, earbuds in and blaring, humming along to the song that’s playing while he cleans out his bucket one last time. He’s nearing the end of his allotted hour—it easily takes the entire hour for him to get Lilith’s home completely clean. The massive enclosure sits in the middle of his store, and stretches from the floor to the skylight; it gives her plenty of natural light to keep her warm, and plenty of room to stretch out her entire 18 feet over the branches of her equally massive artificial tree. 

When he is finally done—cleaning supplies are put up and Lilith’s cage looks brand new—he goes to the 60 gallon storage bin he has to keep her in during the hour. “Oh— oh not again…” he groans, when he sees the lid sitting askew atop the bin. He pauses his music to get his head clear before he starts to panic search for her… and that’s when he hears the screaming. 

Very deep, guttural, screaming of pure panic. 

“Dean come on, it's not even moving,” an unfamiliar voice laughs. 

“Yet, Sam… It’s not moving yet! We need to get the hell out of here before it starts!”

Castiel steps out into his shop. Towering over the shelves is a man Castiel assumes must be Sam; on his back, with his limbs wrapped awkwardly around Sam’s body, is Dean. 

In the store's front window—which sits directly beside the front door—stretched out almost to her full 18 feet, sunbathing in the mid-summer heat without a care in the world of the complete panic going next to her, is Lilith. 

“Can I help you two?” Castiel asks, unsure if he is more annoyed they are in his closed store, or amused at what he is seeing. 

“Wh- what the hell man!” Dean yelps, when he notices Castiel. “You just let that— that— that… roam freely in here!?” 

“That is actually a she,” Castiel says. He crosses the store to Lilith and begins to lift her up. “And she is Burmese Python.” 

“Cool… so you just let your Burmese Python roam around your store?” Dean reiterates, sarcastically. 

“No,” Castiel deadpans, continuing to hoist Lilith up from the window sill. “I keep her in a bin while I clean her cage… but she has been known to get out, that’s why I close the store.” 

“If you’re closed, why was the door unlocked?” 

Castiel sighs; “The lock is broken. But there is a closed sign… did you not see it?” 

“Maybe if it was put where it was easier to see,” Dean snaps back.

“It’s on the front of the door.”

“Can you please get off of me…” Sam interrupts. Dean lingers a moment longer—until Castiel finally has Lilith around his shoulders—then he grunts as he drops to the floor and shakes out his own shoulders, straightening out his worn leather jacket in the process. Castiel blinks. Now that he is no longer contorted around Sam’s body, Castiel can finally get a good look at him. He’s— very handsome… for starters. Castiel feels heat rush to his cheeks. He is vaguely aware he’s staring… but he can’t seem to snap himself out of it. “Uh, anyway, sorry to bother you—I’m Sam… this is Dean. We just opened up next door.”

“Oh, the pawn shop,” Castiel replies; Sam nods, and holds out his hand to Castiel. “Castiel,” he says, shaking Sam’s hand, then turning to do the same with Dean.

“Y- You mind putting it— er, her—your anaconda up… first?” Dean asks, putting some more space between himself and Castiel (and Lilith). 

“Python,” Castiel corrects. “And my apologies for the scare,” he adds, walking Lilith into her cage. She slithers up onto a brand from Castiel’s shoulders and lowers her head to look out at Dean; he cringes and takes another step back. 

“Well, it was good to meet you Cas,” Dean says, finally willing to shake his hand. “Not so much you,” he says to Lilith who inches forward, causing him to give a small leap back. “You should really get that lock fixed, before she decides to break free and go paint the town… or eat the town.”

“The lock is broken, Dean. Not the handle… she can not open the door,” Castiel sighs. 

Dean laughs—not that Castiel was trying to be funny— and nudges Sam towards the door. “Right. Anyway, we’ll see you around?” 

“We are neighbors now, so yes,” Castiel smiles, and waves at them as they continue out the door. “I’ll see you around.” 

it feels like it ends a little weird but again I kept dragging it out into a longer fic and I wanted to get it done so I could post it for you! :)