shelf paradise

Our Spring Break started out like any other - with Lyle starting a project around 9pm on a Friday night after an exciting trip to Home Depot where we purchased a ceiling fan for our bedroom nook. Oh wait, then sparks flew and the lights went out around 10pm and we had no choice, but to retire early. Why didn't we just flip the switch on our breaker box? Because we are the ONLY apartment in the entire building that doesn't have the breaker box on site in our own apartment. Our box is conveniently located in the Wine & Spirits store below us, which conveniently closes at 9pm, because it was conveniently robbed multiple times late at night. So we decide to hit the hay and call "Mr. Mr." (the name of Albert, our super) in the morning. After our evening prayers are said via flashlight and we say goodnight, Lyle reminds me that our food is no longer being cooled and that we MUST call Mr. Mr. tonight to get him to fix our problem. 30 minutes after disturbing Mr. Mr. (who lives in Queens), I am awakened (yes, we fell asleep waiting for him to come) by another round of sparks coming from the light fixture above us. Next, we hear Mr. Mr. coming up the stairs. After a few minutes of him scolding us that we are "not electricians", that we "can't start a project at night", and that if we want something, we just need to ask him, he told us how to fix the problem. We apologized profusely, he flipped the switch in the breaker, and we turned back off the lights to go to bed. WE LEARNED OUR LESSON.
Saturday came and our apartment was kind of a mess because we thought Mr. Mr. would come by to install the ceiling fan himself. Nope, he came by to say he would fix it Monday or Tuesday. Well, we kept our apartment a mess and moved almost everything out of the bedroom for him to install the ceiling fan without destroying our clothes. Monday came and I made it a point to keep a note on the door AND to leave a message explaining that our apartment was ready for him to install the fan on MONDAY. Ha...my plan worked and he was there by 3pm and the fan was done by 5:30pm. Lyle's spring break wish was complete!
Monday, I had made it my goal to get all the shelving materials we would need to put up the "closet" shelves in the bedroom and the family room. Lyle needed to study all day, and I couldn't put the shelves up by myself, but I knew I could make it more efficient for Lyle if I made the trip to Home Depot by myself. Well, that was a trip! After purchasing 13 shelves, 3 6-ft vertical strips, 3 horizontal anchors, 40 something shelf support bars, and a pack of screws, I was exhausted. But wait! I still had to get all that stuff HOME. I was lucky to find a cab quickly and he was nice enough to help me load it into and out of his trunk. I definitely put some sweat into this project. Lyle, happy with his fan, put up my shelves in the bedroom, and we were done organizing our new closet and in bed before 11pm that night! I only had to make ONE quick trip to the local hardware store during his installation! Our closet is a beauty and we can't believe we lived without it for so long.

Here is Lyle using his muscles and math skills. He really loves being handy. Almost there...

We utilized the ENTIRE wall - top to bottom.Complete with fan & shelvesWe can even have a WALKWAY between the bed and closet! No more shimmying between the bed and closet for us!Tuesday came and I was on cloud 9 with my new closet. Lyle used most of his day getting errands and appointments out of the way so he could enjoy the rest of the week. His afternoon was spent in the lab doing some last minute studying before the Mills arrived for their visit. Since I had the free time as well, I decided to make myself useful and put up the Family Room shelves myself. I finished the project just as Lyle arrived home. He exemplified shock as gratitude, which I had to make do with. He couldn't believe that I could do it all by myself. I must admit, I love being handy, and am actually getting better at doing projects correctly instead of quickly. The final step was getting all the wood furniture out on the street (with the exception of my beloved credenza), cleaning the dusty floors, and moving the furniture we had left, in their new respectable spots. We quickly completed this as the Mills arrived and MY Spring Break wish was complete!
My new Family Room!We're keeping Lyle's favorite "thinking" chair for now. We may opt for a desk later, who knows.

I still have a few more things to organize and find spots for, but I feel so much better about our new shelves. They really open up the room and make it feel like a bigger space. I now feel like we can really make it through the next few years in this apartment. Yeah for updates in the pad!