Attack the Bedroom!

Four of my five children are at summer camp for the week. The only one home is my oldest, who will be at work most days. So my project for the week is to attack ... my bedroom!
I am naturally a packrat and a sentimental saver. I am also NOT naturally organized, and I have a hard time envisioning a neat and efficient way to store things in my home. So my bedroom has become a catch-all. When I don't know what to do with something, it usually ends up in a pile in my room. There is a table piled with photos, scrapbooking materials, concert programs and field trip brochures and award certificates ~ and I haven't touched any of it in, oh, a year or more. There are bags of outgrown clothes waiting to go to Goodwill. There are sleeping bags, boxes of seasonal decorations, rolls of gift wrap, art supplies, an old computer that we no longer use. It has become overwhelming to the point that I avoid doing anything in there at all. Except sleep. Fortunately ( or unfortunately ) my husband is a also a "messie", with clothes piled next to his side of the bed and a dresser top piled high with papers, tools, assorted containers, loose change, etc. He never mentions the condition of the room, although I bet he would appreciate a room that was comfortable and attractive and in order, even if he doesn't realize it!
My heart's desire is for our bedroom to be a sanctuary, a peaceful refuge, an attractive and comfortable place of rest and romance. This is a huge challenge! My friend, Eileen, suggested that I just bag up EVERYTHING in plastic trash bags~ clear out the whole room and dust and vaccuum and clean and paint ~ then begin going through the contents of the bags one at a time and only returning those things that I really need or want. The rest stays out. I think I need to do that with furniture too. There is a desk in there that is too big and bulky and I really should get rid of it. I'd like to find a smaller computer desk and set up a corner "office" for my husband for when he needs to work from home... now he has no "place" to do that, and either sits on the bed with his laptop on his lap or even sits on the floor. And there is a plastic bookshelf that is rather ugly. And my dresser is missing a drawer because it fell apart.
My big motivation is a quilt that my mom is making for my 25th wedding anniversary, which is this summer. It is gorgeous, and will be the centerpiece of my "new" bedroom. I just need to get things ready. Eileen has promised to help. She is the opposite of me! She is a neatnik, a clean freak, a natural at organizing and decorating. Her house is beautiful and warm and welcoming. Of course, I can't let her step foot in my room the way it is right now! I'd appreciate any and all prayers in regards to this endeavor. I feel like I'm getting ready for battle...