Creature of Habit

We have lived in our house for almost three and a half years. As the years have gone by, we’ve made little changes here and there throughout the house. None of them have been major changes, just little weekend projects or redecorating. But it hit me this last week how those little weekend projects can add up to a whole lot of change!

For example, our eating area. This is what it looked like after we had lived in our house for about six months:
We had just adopted Walter about a month before and he had already made his presence known in the eating area (the blue and green bowls, his food and his HUGE crate, the large white thing in the bottom left hand corner.) That summer I repainted the walls so they looked much cleaner and brighter and I also painted the canvases that are hanging on the wall. Then last summer I moved the tree/plant over by the window to get more light, but it died. So I got a new plant and still kept it over by the window. Then Audrey arrived and she put her little mark on our space: her highchair. Once Audrey started crawling, she was very interested in those green and blue bowls, so Walter now eats outside. (Walter’s crate was also moved outside because we no longer crate him in the house, it’s just not necessary anymore.) Then the plant and its accompanying dirt by the window was a hazard for Audrey, so it is now in a plant stand. Then, once Audrey started standing up next to everything, she, of course, would try to stand next to the kitchen table and chairs. She was just short enough that she could stand under the table, but she would, inevitably, hit her head on the bracings underneath. The chairs also had lots of sharp edges where the wrought iron was attached, also a hazard. So, a few weeks ago, we sold our old table and chairs and bought a new set. All of these little changes were “no big deal.”

Then a few days ago, I moved the trash can to a new spot.

Oh. My! GOODNESS!!!

I can’t, for the life of me, get used to the trash can being moved! It makes much more sense for the trash can to be in it’s new spot, but I can’t count the number of times each day I reach for the trash can in it’s old spot. Aaaahhhhh…the frustration!! Why can’t I remember that I moved it?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

What I want to know is: has anyone else experienced this by moving one little item? Please tell me your story so I feel more normal. (and here’s our “after” kitchen picture.)