Before

yikes. This is what I have been up to the past week. Seems #5 needed some changes in her life. Part of those changes meant dealing with a less than responsive (or responsible for that matter) landlord and manager for the small BY-U approved housing. Took a bit of doing but I think we are making some head way.

Then there was the matter of the condition of the interiors. Not being allowed to paint over the dead flat bright hospital white walls that have been neglected (for several years by the look of them), we opted for the things we could change.

This first photo is of the front door as you face the street. Note that the t.v. is placed on a dresser. Normally I would think, "O.k. clever. We can use the dresser as extra storage and as a t.v stand." Alas, no. This dresser has been held together by unknown forces for far too long! The drawer fronts actually just balance on their frames, one small move and the whole front falls off! (The collection of odds and ends on the floor were my fault...thrift store bargains, more on them later)

This second photo shows the lovely thin to thread bare curtains, broken windows that cannot be secured and are directly in line with the drive way and walk way access to the back house. Neighbors, the mailman, and any visitors have a direct view into the house at any time of the day! How convenient! It also shows the best of the two couches, this one actually a love seat with holes in the seats, thus the yellow sheet, which as most throws or slip covers has a tendency to shift during use. Note the small foot stool. There are two of these, I think they are cast offs from a glider rocker, as they both glide. The good thing is they are surprisingly comfortable, the height is good and the cushion is bearable. Behind the love seat are two book cases. The one on the right holds two of the girls' dvd collections and on the base shelf, one gal's nursing books. The other shelf on the left houses #5's books, well some of her books. That book case it also very wobbly and whenever you remove a book the entire shelf lists one way or the other and you need to steady it, lest it collapse in a heap. There is a "Medusa" lamp, which the girls bought together because there was no lighting in the house prior to the purchase. They didn't really like it, but for $20.00 it was a deal. In the left corner, not shown, is another bookcase #5 brought with her, also filled to the brim with her books; and a hanging wind chime that belongs to her roommate... the one thing said roommate insisted stay exactly where it is, all else we could do what we would.

The third photo shows what I dubbed the SLC Airport couch. It had a very firm (read hard) and very shallow seat and all it was lacking was baggage claim and/or the pleather roping to guide you to your terminal. That was our beginning.

The last photo is one final look at the love seat for later comparison. We decided something had to be done about the seating in this house. No one ever sat on the Airport couch because of it's complete lack of comfort, so the girls dismantled it and stored it inside a hall closet.