I loved going to school.  I loved everything about it…the bus, the friends, the books, the seasonal decorations, the P.A. system, the cafeteria food, the scheduled day, the desks, recess!, the way my legs stuck to the plastic chairs on hot days, the school boxes, the smell of paper/glue/crayons all mixed together.  Layne started Kindergarten yesterday and I think he was equally enthused.  He said it was ‘awesome!’  I’m so happy for him.

Love you Buddy.

It’s Feature Friday!  On Fridays, I’ll be featuring one room in my house in its current condition even if there are some things I’d like to change about it.  If I do happen to improve something later, I can always revisit it when the time comes.  Plus, I’d kinda feel dishonest if I only focused on “finished” rooms in my house.  And if what they (the professionals) say is true, a room is never really finished anyways…you’re always tweaking it.  Concentrating on just one room weekly should give me some time to tidy it up a bit, too.  At least, I can throw all the toys into another room!

We’re staying upstairs this week and taking a peek at the laundry room.  Yup, our laundry room is on the second floor and I love it.  It kind of forces me to put clean clothes straight away after they’re folded.  I don’t mind doing laundry…the separating, washing, drying and folding I can handle.  But when it comes to putting washed clothes away…that’s where I get lazy.  You may remember my laundry room makeover here.  If so, here are some laundry room shots with the new camera.  If not, then welcome to where skidmarked Lightning McQueen undies and muddy socks eventually end up in our house.

To the left…

To the right…

The walls are painted in Glidden (Home Depot’s) Gentle Tide.  It’s the same color as our mudroom.  This room is small so storage above the washer and dryer is a must.  Handy Hubby added IKEA hardware to the builder cabinets. 

The seagrass baskets on top of the cabinets hold a light bulb surplus.

I sewed and stenciled the curtains to hide plumbing and electrical uglies out of sight.

Just behind the door are hooks for drying delicates, swim suits and swimming trunks. 

The patterned ironing board cover was an Etsy find.

The trio of mirrors came from Goodwill.  They were initially gold.  I spray painted them white.

Layne made the artwork.  I think I should switch it out soon for something more ‘current’.  Layne recently said, “I made that when I was, like, 4.”  He’s 5.  Butterflies and flowers are so last year.

You may think that the wicker laundry baskets are just for looks but they’re not.  I use them to carry clean clothes to their appropriate room.  They also hold a supply of mismatched, outgrown baby socks that I throw in my front loading washer to balance out loads that are made up of mostly larger items (i.e. sheets, blankets, tablecloths, slipcovers, etc.).  Works like a charm.

Finally, the IKEA stepstool that I stained and poly’d props open the washer door to ward off any mildewy smells that can sometimes occur with front loaders left shut.  It has also come in handy when transferring clean, wet clothes to the dryer.  I happily pop a squat to load the dryer and my back thanks me.  The rugs were $3 each from IKEA.

For a little room, this guy packs a big punch.  Thank goodness.  Our boys sure know how to get dirrrty.  Speaking of which…I think I have some laundry to tend to.  Happy weekend!