Mud Room Organization OR Airing Out the Dirty Laundry

How's THAT for a post title?

Good Monday morning, everyone! And welcome to our mud room. I don't think I've shown you much of this room before....and you're all probably tired of seeing my living room....so let's take a quick little tour. And I'm not kidding when I say quick.

This is the room you enter first when you come in our back door. Mud room is a good name for it because that's really all it does. It's painted a buttery yellow color, which I love. Someday, I would like to do something to make this a more used room....like maybe add a settee or a couple comfy chairs to make it a nice space for reading. But for now it is just the spot that houses our coat closet and laundry.

Fortunately you wouldn't know that when you first walk in the room. We keep it all well hidden. This room was part of an addition we put on our house about three years ago. I knew our family could not have an open mudroom with cubbies and hooks. I knew that it would be perpetually messy and that would drive my crazy. So as much as I wanted cute cubbies with hooks, I used my head, did the practical thing, and put it all behind closed doors.

So as you walk in the door, there are double bifold doors to the right which is our coat closet.

And to the left, there are bifold doors which house our laundry as well as some storage shelves.



By the way, that cup shelf was made by my Dad when I was a little girl to have in my home someday. It is very special to me! My Mom and my sister have shelves just like it.

If you keep going around the room you'll see this little table.

So that's the little tour. And now for the dirty laundry part....

Saturday afternoon I was scrambling to find gloves and hats for the kids when we went to Trunk or Treat. I figured I should probably get the coat closet organized before Winter really kicks in. I know there are probably some coats and maybe boots in there that have been outgrown and could be donated. And the laundry closet closet always seems to be overflowing. So I decided to challenge myself to get these spots in order this week. And I figure if I post it here, I have to complete it, right?

So here are the "before" pictures. (Yikes! I hope you all appreciate my transparency here! Ha ha!)

Hopefully I will be back with an update in a day or two and have some "after" photos to show you.

Oh, and if you're interested in seeing the kids in their Halloween costumes that I slaved over last week (okay, not REALLY), I posted them over on my Facebook page.

Have a great day, everybody!

Today's Thankfulness....

*For a great weekend....Trunk or Treat, being together as a family, worship on Sunday.

* For the chance Hubster and I had yesterday to have some concentrated time with just our oldest son.

* For humor....we would not be able to survive around here without it!

18 Inches Of Change

Change can be hard. Even the smallest of changes.

And sometimes the simplest change can make a huge difference.

Take for instance our living room. We have lived in this house for ten years now and have never really changed the furniture arrangement. Not that I didn't ever think about it, but the room is very difficult to change. There is not a lot of wall space for placing furniture because of doors, windows, steps, and the stone wall feature. And even though it is a fairly large room, it is very narrow, so floating a large piece of furniture such as the couch really won't work. Thus, things haven't been moved around much in ten years.

Until yesterday.

Yesterday I showed you my new coffee table that I got over the weekend.

So last night, the Hubster and I were relaxing and admiring the new table. I was sitting in our chair and made the comment that it was not close enough to put my feet up on the table. And my dear Hubster said, "You could move it."  Just matter-of-factly like that.

So I did. A total of about 18 inches, I think.

Do you see how the wood flooring and carpet come together at the bottom of this photo? Well, the back of the chair used to be right up against that flooring transition. So I basically turned the chair and moved it closer by a few inches. Small change, right?

I have to admit that I'm still getting used to it. But I think it makes a huge difference. Our space is cozier and more conducive to conversation. And it only took 18 inches of change!

We still need some more seating. Eventually we'd like to get another chair. But in the mean time, little changes like simply moving a chair, can make a big difference.

Have you been doing any tweaking in your house? Have you made any little changes that have had a big impact? I would love to hear about it.

Today's thankfulness....

* For a hot cup-of-something on a chilly morning.

* For words of affirmation that my husband received at work yesterday.

* For my sweet doggy who loves me unconditionally and follows me around like I'm the bees knees....even when I'm trying to take photographs.



A Story About A Table

Here's the story....of a lovely table....that was sitting in a store for three whole months....

C'mon, sing a long with me. You know you want to!

Okay, okay...I know it's Monday morning so I'll cut you a little slack on the singing and just get to the story.

Back in the Spring, I discovered a used furniture consignment shop practically around the corner from where I live. What a find! This place is PACKED with everything from dining sets to bedroom furniture, desks, hutches, and upholstered furniture. I started frequenting the store every couple weeks because I was on the hunt for a new (to me) coffee table. As usual, I had it set in my mind exactly what I was looking for....round with a pedestal base. Because the store seemed to have a decent turnover in furniture I hoped that someday that table I was looking for would magically appear.

And one Summer day, it did!

The thing about this consignment store is that they have an interesting pricing system. Each piece has a price tag with four dates and four prices on it. After about four weeks, the price of the piece begins to drop....and continues to do so until over time it reaches the lowest price on the tag.

And as usually is my luck, the table was new to the store and was still at it's highest price. If I wanted to try and get it for the lowest price, I was going to have to take a gamble and wait it out for about 12 weeks. <sigh>  I am SO not good at waiting. But the original price on the tag was just too much for me to pay.

So I waited [impatiently]. And I went and visited MY table every couple weeks to see if it was still there. And each time, surprisingly, it was!

This weekend the time finally came for the table to be down to the lowest price. I was sure that somebody else was watching the price and was going to snatch that table right out from under my nose on the last day.

My daughter and I hurried out yesterday to the store. She had been with me for one of my table visitations. On the way there I warned her that it may not be there still. I think I was talking more to myself.

We entered the store and didn't bother taking our time to look around. We made a bee line to where the table had been. And there it was!

I checked it out more carefully and found that it is VERY heavy and VERY sturdy.

I payed for it, they put it in my van, and we were out of there before someone else could run in and claim visitation rights.

I did have a plan to paint the table. Because she does have a past.

But now that I have her home, I'm not so sure. I think I'm going to live with her for a while before I decide.

And since my mantra is "Leave no surface unstyled," I couldn't resist arranging a couple things on top while I take my time making a decicion.

So I would love to hear what you think. Paint or no paint?

Monday's thankfulness.....

* For 13 years that our son has been a part of our family and a fun time celebrating together.

* For a great time of worship yesterday and focusing on the faithfulness of God.

AND

* For the table still being in the store.

Make it a great day, everybody!

WHOooo Doesn't Like A Good Deal?

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend!

The other day I needed to stop at Super WalMart for a few groceries. The good thing about Super WalMart is that if you dislike grocery shopping (like me), you still have the opportunity to browse through their Home section. So I was just about to make it through with my wallet unscathed when this guy caught my eye. A handsome owl lamp.

He was all alone....except for the rustic, brown owl lamp that looked like he belonged in a man cave. In my mind I had a conversation with myself (I'm not the only one who does that, right?) about how much I was willing to pay for him. I checked the price and he JUST made it. He was coming home with me!

But as I tried to find the perfect shade for him, I realized that something was not quite right. There was a piece missing that would hold the shade in place. DRAT!! And did I mention he was the only one left on the shelf? DOUBLE DRAT!!

I'm not one to shy away from broken things though. I will try to make ANYTHING work....much to the chagrin of the Hubster sometimes. And one of my favorite mottos is, "it doesn't hurt to ask." So I marched up to Customer Service with the lamp in my cart. I kindly explained the situation to the lady behind the counter. She said she could give me 10% off. Meh....not great, but better than nothing. But then when she marked it for me, she said, "I'll give it to you for $5 off." Yahoo! That was way better than 10%. We're talking WalMart here folks. It was not a hugely expensive lamp to begin with.

So the lamp went home with me....after I finished the grocery shopping. And I was a happy camper.

Once at home, I used some cardboard, tape, and super glue to fix things up.

And here's how he looks now with his new shade.



Doesn't he look stately guarding over our living room?

What bargain treasures have you found for your home?

Back To School, A Transformation, And Making Memories

Have your kids gone back to school yet?  Yesterday was the big day for my kids. It's always a little bittersweet for me.  In all honesty, I'm usually ready for them to go back (and they are too.)  But it means that the last bit of Summer is slipping through my hands.

Back in the Spring, I painted a large chalkboard wall in our kitchen. (Stick with me, this will all come together and make sense in a minute, I promise!)  It was a huge leap for me, but now that I've done it, I love it! It's added a lot of character to our kitchen and, well, it's just kind of fun.

 

Here is that part of the kitchen "before."  Pretty boring, huh?

I was a little concerned after the first coat. It wasn't looking good. But after another couple coats, I was really pleased.

After the paint had dried for 24 hours, I seasoned the chalkboard by rubbing chalk all over it. This helps the chalk to "stick" better when you write on it and also prevents a ghost image which is when you can still see your writing after you erase.

Then came the fun part. I doodled around for a while and then decided I would do a large calendar for the month.



So back to Summer coming to an end.....

A couple years ago, I got really discouraged because it seemed like Summer was passing us by. I must admit that because my kids have special needs, it's often difficult and frustrating to try and go places with all three. I decided that if we were going to have any fun and make any memories, we were going to be very intentional about it. The Hubster and I sat down with the kids and made a "Summer List."  We allowed them all to choose things they would like to do or accomplish. We told them to dream big. We couldn't guarantee them we would complete everything on our list, but at least we would have some goals. Our first year's list was written on a piece of notebook paper and put on the front of the fridge and we checked things off as we completed them. Our lists have included everything from a vacation at the beach to visiting friends, a long car ride, eating at our favorite restaurants, and getting ice cream.

Now back to the chalk board.....

This year, as the kids spouted off things they would like to do this Summer, I wrote them on our new chalkboard. It was fun to have it right there in big letters in front of us all Summer. Many dinners around the table were spent talking about our list. And this year we did a pretty good job and accomplishing things on it. It's been fun to have this little family project and spend time together as a family, making memories.

So I thought it would be great to take a back to school photo in front of our chalkboard showing both our Summer List and the August calendar.  I think it was the perfect way to look back at a great Summer while also looking forward to an exciting new school year.

What's This All About?

Welcome!

If you've stumbled upon this blog, you're just in time! 

"For what?" you may ask. 

For my very FIRST post!

So now maybe you're asking, "What's this all about, this 'Still Keeping On The Narrow Way' blog thingy?" (Yes, "thingy" is a word. At least in my world it is!)

Welllllll.....Let me start by telling you a little bit about myself. I am a wife and mother of three kids. All three of our children came to us through foreign adoption and have special needs. Plus, we have a dog who is the biggest "Mama's boy" ever! So things around our place can get pretty crazy.

Also, since I was young, I've loved houses and home decor. But now that I've grown up and have my own family and home, it's become more about making a comfortable, secure home for my family as well as a welcoming place for friends and family. Sure, I still want to have a home that looks nice, but it is more about the feeling you get when you're there.

I love simple projects and touches that make my home feel special. I love decorating to celebrate the seasons. I love creating memories for my children.

So, I guess this is what you can expect here. Posts about family and making home special.

I read recently that if you write a blog, you have to be an expert at something. Well, I am NOT an expert at marriage, or parenting, or organization, or decorating, or DIY, or crafts. (You get the picture) But, I AM good at trying.

Since, I'm no expert, my real hope that this blog will be a conversation....where I share a little and you share a little too.

The subtitle of Still Keeping On The Narrow Way is

 Living - Loving - Laughing - Learning - Dreaming - Daring - Doing. 


I hope to do all of that along the way.

a75478a4486e25902096a54af7dcc8923f00f7f7b25d69994f