Challenge-A-Day Challenge #6: The Long Wait Home

Around this time last year we received the most awesome gift ever: 

Two free days at the Dells Wilderness Resort!

We were super excited to have this opportunity, but just couldn't find a good time to use it.

You know how that goes... Blackout Dates.

No summer, no weekends, no convenience.

We thought of using it over Christmas break, but in the holiday chaos we somehow managed to forget all about it. Suddenly here it was, early January, and we realized it was about to expire.

We picked out the perfect date in early February when the kids had a couple of days off from school, pulled out the paperwork to call for reservations, and realized the darn thing ended February 1st!

Fortunately, we still had time to shuffle everything back to January, were able to do so with minimal missed school hours, and proceeded to have the time of our lives:

...and then it was time to unpack.

I took off like a rocket at the outset, then stalled out entirely on the suitcase. Other than a few random items that the kids may have required on one specific day or another, this monstrous, unnecessary eyesore just sat uselessly in the mudroom (and later the dining room!) gathering dust.

As you can see, it even began to function as an ottoman of sorts where I piled additional clothing up on top!  

In terms of having learned my lesson about post-vacation procrastinating, I wouldn't puts your bets on me just yet. But in lieu of an "after" picture which in this case wouldn't be very interesting, I have stumbled upon some useful "after"thoughts that I would like to share:

Due to Julianne's ever-present biofeedback issue, I am caught in a cycle of constantly laundering little girl underwear and somehow still having none available when it is most needed.
Guess what the unpacked suitcase was just chock full of!
Unexpected Bonus #1

On a whim, Zach & I picked out the two most adorable little Valentine onesies for Avery one day at the store. He's worn one of them a few times, but a frantic couple-of-days-before-Valentine's search revealed that the other one - the one I had been saving specifically for Valentine's Day itself! - had gone astray.
Just in the nick of time, guess where it finally turned up!
Unexpected Bonus #2

and, last but not least...

Unexpected Bonus #3:
A pretty awesome "after" picture "after" all!

Granted, this picture is neither of the suitcase itself nor is it of the location where it was formerly located, but it is a very pleasant byproduct of the undertaking as a whole.
The filing cabinet was one of the first challenges I took on and I am pleased to announce that thus far I have managed to keep it free from clutter so that upon receipt of Grandma's much-anticipated Valentine's cards, I scarcely had to search at all for the perfect spot to display them*.
It's turned out to be pretty good storage for the tissue box and library-haul-that-never-really-seems-to-have-a-place as well. Right next to the coat rack and out the door!


*In this house, holiday cards are not considered clutter.
They are pure, unadulterated, (bonus: temporary!) awesomeness :)