My Recycled "Charging Station"

Once you've been married and in charge of your own household for a long while, it's astonishing how many things can begin to pile up.  We went through a major renovation a few years ago and although we did get rid of a lot of excess stuff, somehow we've managed to hold on to quite a bit that kind of got stuffed away for "some day" when we had more time to sort through it all.  One can choose to view this as a problem, or one can be like me and begin to view one's attic and basement as a veritable shopping mecca ... all for free!

My BlackBerry is usually attached to my body in some fashion for most of the day.  However, occasionally it needs to be juiced up again, but having a big ol' ugly cord hanging around on the kitchen counter was bugging me -- it was just always in the way.  I'd been intending to buy one of those fancy "charging stations" one of these days but hadn't gotten around to it.  Recently I found this dinky little metal easel in the far reaches of my basement.  I don't have any memory of where I got it, but I know I've had it forever.  I was about to toss it when I realized it made the perfect little charging station for not just my phone, but for my entire family's fleet of phones (the all use the same style charger).  I set it up on top of the little French country armoire in the corner of our kitchen, wrapping the cord around the metal legs so that it doesn't go slipping away out of reach behind the cabinet.  I love that it sits upright so that it serves as a clock while it's charging, and it's within quick reach if I hear it dinging that I've got a new email.

Problem solved!  I like it so much that it's become a permanent fixture, and now I'm on the prowl for more things sitting around the house that I can reuse in some cute or clever way.  My great-grandmother would be so proud!