A Tisket, a Tasket, I’m in Love with Baskets . . .

Baskets are my friends. Baskets can help organize and clear clutter in every room in your home and create the appearance of tidiness while adding interest to your decor. They come in all shapes, colors, sizes and materials. In my old house, things related are sorted and placed into baskets on shelves in the laundry room, closets and cabinets. A decorative basket filled with incoming mail is better than a pile of papers sitting on the counter. A small basket in the bathroom filled with sample-size shampoos, conditioner and lotions is great for guest's convienence. A basket in the bathroom filled with magazines and reading material helps contain clutter. I used lots of small plastic baskets in the bathroom cabinet by the sink for out-of-sight storage. Plastic is good for things that leak or spill or need to be washed from time to time. All toothpaste, dental floss and extra tooth brushes are in a small basket, hair items in another, makeup in another and so on. I rolled towels and wash clothes in a square wicker basket with brass-colored handles in the guest bath by the sink for decoration and easy access. Since I have the habit of kicking off my shoes when I enter the house, I have shallow square baskets near the outside doors just for shoes. They also help coral guest's shoes. I never use baskets that are too large or deep where items are hard to see and can get lost.

Plastic boxes, decorative boxes and plastic drawer units also come in handy. I bought a plastic drawer unit with wheels and used it for my sewing items, placed my portable sewing machine on top and rolled it into a closet out of sight.

Manti is located in a somewhat remote area so I often buy in bulk. In my basement where my extra food and supplies are kept, I sorted everything the same way a grocery store is organized, sauces together, soups, fruit, dry goods, spices, packaged food, soap and paper towels all in their own areas on the shelving units. Many smaller items like spice-mix packages are stored in plastic containers with lids or flat baskets. When I go down to find an ingredient for a recipe, it is like grocery shopping.

DEUTERONOMY
CHAPTER 28 Verse 5
Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

Down in the Dungeon

Manti basements are the scariest places on the planet. Mine was no exception. The walls were rock and mortar with plenty of niches for spiders to spins their webs and with cement plastered here and there.

The stairs going down to the basement were especially treacherous. My handyman rebuilt the stairs and custom made a hand railing that followed the line of the wall by the stairs. He also repaired the area at the bottom of the stairs, building a box to hide the plumbing and finished off the landing area. I finished and painted some of the walls. I also installed baseboard at the landing to finish off the area.

The furnace worked part time and was plumbed into an old oil-burning monster.

I hired a plumber to remove the oil burning furnace (what a filthy mess) and moved the gas furnace out of the center of the room to the back wall. It had to be reducted. The furnace only worked some of the time, so after several service calls and hundreds of dollars in repairs, I had a new one installed.

I plastered the walls of the one-room basement with cement then finished them with plaster and paint.

I repaired and painted the floor and installed movable shelving units for storage. I especially like the Seville Classic Chrome 48 wide x 72 high inch shelving units. I could buy 2 units and link them together to make 3 units. They are sturdy and easy to install. The heavy casters on the bottom roll easily and lock in place if desired. I also like the small rack at the back that keeps items from falling behind the unit. I like the idea of being able to relocate shelving as needed.

An electrician installed a new electric panel to replace the old fuse box. I also had the electric meter on the outside of the house replaced to bring it up to code. The electrician removed the outdated panel on the kitchen porch and run the existing wires to the new panel in the basement. I also had a new light installed so the basement was not so dark and scary.