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!

This doesn’t have much to do with house stuff other than it was an attempt at learning how to use my new camera for shooting house stuff.  I asked Layne to pose for me a few times…okay, maybe more than a few times.  Poor guy.  I got some good tongue shots.  In fact, all I got were tongue-out-of-mouth shots.

The Straight-On Tongue

The Tired, Head to the Side Tongue

The Monkey Tongue

Must boys always act goofy when their Moms try to take pictures of them?  As luck would have it, my sister, Alina (a.k.a. Nanny Lina), showed up a day later to play with my camera and captured this after a dip in the pool…

Just like that, the tongue stays in his mouth.

A few days ago, I let you in on my wild and crazy Saturday night with Handy Hubby.  On something of a whim, Handy Hubby traced the outline of a cherry blossom branch onto our foyer wall.  Give that man a blank wall, a pencil and some paint and he can work wonders.

It only took him a few days (it’d take you much less time if you didn’t have to work, take care of kids or hold the fort down while your spouse worked) to draw, paint and touch up the graphic branch.  I’m not gonna lie…at one point I couldn’t watch because I was so sure he was going to fall off the ladder and spill paint everywhere.  But then I thought, “Heck, then we could just rip up the carpet on the steps and install a cool runner.”  I always try to look on the bright side.

Luckily (or unluckily, however you want to see it), Handy Hubby did NOT fall or spill any paint.  What he did do was make me very happy!  He sure knows the way to my heart…with a paintbrush.  Really, though, I think he likes the final product more than me.

It’s art.  It’s nature.  It’s something to look at while sitting on the living room couch besides an empty stairwell.  It’s a tree that I don’t have to water (i.e. kill).  And best of all, it was free.  We were able to borrow the projector and make a transparency for free because we know people.  Important people.  With projectors and transparencies.  We already had the paint on hand.  (Hint: You will see this paint color again in a future post.)  I guess now would be the time to mention it is Lowe’s Valspar Elkhorn Cactus.

So, wadda ya think?  It’s a pretty big statement for such a small price tag.  Right up our alley.  But maybe you disagree (like our 5-year-old) and ask, “Um, why is there a tree on that wall?”  And like most projects around here, this one has conjured up ideas for more projects.  As in painting the back of the front door and banister.  This modern wall art has our builder white door and orange-y oak railing looking a tad out of place. 

I like the green color of this door…

(courtesy of DesignMom)

I like the black and white of this railing…

(courtesy of Decorate and Renovate)

Totally DIYable.  Now, I just have to find the time.  Or stay up crazy late for a few nights.

What to do on a Saturday night?  There are the usual choices: movie, dinner, absolutely nothing, go to bed early, eat ice cream, read, hang out on the porch after the kids have gone to bed, etc.  But what about painting?  That’s what we did this weekend.  And by we I mean Handy Hubby.  I did play an integral part in supervising though.  You see, our 2-story foyer is about as plain as it gets.  We’ve been wanting to paint a modern mural of sorts on the large empty wall for a while now.  Well, we finally got around to borrowing a projector.

We knew we wanted a branch-like motif but nothing too country or theme-y.  Something a little more modern.  Something similar to this…

(courtesy of Young House Love)

Don’t you just love those cherry blossom branches?  Handy Hubby wasn’t too keen on so many blossoms.  We eventually agreed on a more graphic cherry blossom print for our stairwell.  Handy Hubby printed up a transparency for the projector and this past Saturday night he traced the outline onto the wall with a pencil. 

We rotated the image so that the branch comes out of the corner just like the inspiration photo from Young House Love.

Handy Hubby wanted to paint it white but I wanted something with a little more contrast.  We settled on a nice muddy gray that’s about 2 shades darker than the wall color.  (Yup, you could say I won.)  There’s nothing more romantic than seeing Handy Hubby up on a ladder with a paint brush in his hand.  It makes my heart flutter.

Handy Hubby likes the contrast now that he can see it up on the wall.  It’s still a work in progress but it’s really coming along.  I’ll be sure to share final pics as soon as it’s done!  Oh, and we aren’t quite finished with that projector yet.  I have another DIY project up my sleeve that requires a large scale guide, too.  Keep watching…

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!

This week we’re touring the nursery because 1) I haven’t shared many pics of it and 2) it may not be a nursery much longer.  (Hint, hint, Handy Hubby.)  As far as nurseries go, it’s a pretty simple one.  The baby rooms I see nowadays are ubercool.  As was our decision, we didn’t find out the sex of our babies before they were born.  (Although, I had a very strong inkling they were both boys.)  Our nursery reflects that and is gender neutral.  The nursery you see today is the same one we used with our elder son, too, 5 years ago…albeit in a different house. 

We decided on a calm room that encourages sleep.  I don’t know if it’s the room or our parenting skills OR just plain ol’ luck but both of our children are excellent sleepers who usually enjoy going to bed.

We got the crib online from Target and the cradle in the left-hand corner was actually my cradle as a baby.  We used it in our bedroom when Everett was a newborn.  Now, it’s a great place for extra blankets and stuffed animals.

I put a few IKEA fabric bins beneath the crib for added storage…books, out-of-season clothing and small toys.  Under the crib and behind the bins is one of the boys’ favorite hiding spots.

We sealed an unfinished IKEA dresser then slapped a changing pad on top to make a changing station that can grow with us when diapers are no longer a daily part of life.  (Ahh, that’ll be the day.)  The drawers hold wipes, diapers, butt cream and pajamas.

This is the wall opposite the crib.  I can’t tell you how many nursing sessions and bedtimes stories that chair has seen.  A lot.  I’m surprised it doesn’t smell like foul spit-up.

I painted the wall art after scoring a good deal on a canvas from JoAnn Fabrics.  Next to the chair is a large dresser.

The top of the dresser holds mementos and family keepsakes: a piggybank that was a gift from a neighbor, a sheep music box that was Handy Hubby’s as a child, Everett’s cast from when he broke his leg last fall (hey, the doctor asked if I wanted to keep it!), Everett’s newborn footprints, framed art from my sister-in-law, a starfish from Everett’s Grammy and a personalized wooden block that was a gift from a good friend’s parents.

Some details…

The baby quilt is from my childhood.  I have pictures of me spending tummy-time on it.

Just inside the door to the room are hooks for sleep sacks…a winter must here in the Midwest if you have a baby.  We do…

That baby blanket was mine as an infant also.  Since this room faces east, it gets drenched in sunlight early in the morning.  Blackout drapery liners are another must here.  In broad daylight, I can make the room nap-able.  Thank goodness.

So, that’s our basic nursery with a few meaningful pieces thrown in.  My favorite being the 2-year-old in the crib.  I should disclose that Everett has slept in his big boy bed (in the shared room with his big brother) a half-dozen times.  He’s good at it…once he falls asleep.  He just gets soooo excited to be in the same room with Layne that he giggles for hours.  Handy Hubby and I crack up outside their door on the nights they share a room.  But both boys wake up grumpy and groggy the next day after laughing late into the night.  For now, we’re just playing it by ear and letting them have ‘sleepovers’ together when they ask.  Often times, they just want their separate space after a long, exhausting summer day.  And I’m not forcing the issue.  I’m not quite ready for an empty nursery.

I’m a huuuuge fan of Amy Butler.  Just take a look at her Ohio home…

(all home photos courtesy of Apartment Therapy)

Since we’re both from the Midwest and I read her book, Midwest Modern, AND she emails me, we’re pretty much like this…

Okay, maybe she only contacts me because I signed up to receive her email updates.  Still, I was thrilled to see her latest contribution to the world of decor.  She started out designing sewing patterns but has since moved onto fabric, stationery, home decor and now wallpaper design.  Yum.  Here are some of my favorites.

(wallpaper photos courtesy of Graham & Brown)

That last one, Memento in Moss, is my absolute new design crush.  If I had a little girl, I’d be slapping that paper on her bedroom walls.  Alas, I have two boys.  And those other prints would look fabulous just about anywhere.  I don’t think I’m brave enough to wallpaper an entire room but an accent wall, art piece or wall space above white wainscoting would be totally doable.  Deeee-lish.

I’ve planted sweet potato vine for the last 5 years in various places.  I love the chartreuse variety.  I don’t know the correct botanical name.  I could google it, but I’m feeling lazy.  This year I planted it in 2 window boxes just outside our master bedroom.

Last winter I clipped a few leaves at the stem and rooted them in water over the winter to use as houseplants and then replanted them outdoors in the spring.  It worked like a charm.

To my surprise this past Sunday morning, I noticed actual ‘potatoes’ growing at the roots of one of the vines.  In all my 5 years of caring for sweet potato vine, I haven’t encountered this before although I knew it was possible.

There are actually 2 tubers growing here…the golden-ish one in the foreground and another redder one in the background below the soil.  They look like tumors (not tubers) growing right off the vine!  I’m thinking of storing them over the winter and then resprouting vines from the tubers later.  So, my question to everyone out there is  – Does anyone have experience in doing this?  I think I read something about drying them out for a few days in late fall then putting them in a shoebox with peat for the winter but I’m not sure how to sprout vines from them.  I’d be glad for any advice!

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! 

This week I’m swallowing my pride and sharing snapshots of our totally dysfunctional basement.  It’s a large space with 9′ ceilings that has great bones for a future media room/bar/urinal.  (That’s right.  I’ve promised Handy Hubby a urinal in the basement.)  For now, though, it’s where we DIY projects, store overstock, and hide things that haven’t quite made it to Goodwill.  (It also is the breeding ground for large, furry spiders.)  And it lies just beyond this door…secured with a toddler-unfriendly safety knob for reasons you are about to see.

I’m pretty sure if my basement was a business I’d get shut down for violating safety regulations with these cluttered steps.  For some reason, I don’t have time to walk all the way down the steps to put things away after I finish a project elsewhere.

Once downstairs, there is a pile of empty boxes and packing materials that haven’t found their way out to the garbage man.  The sump pump is in the corner…a must for keeping the basement dry during wet weather.

Looking towards the back of the basement is more, well, stuff.  Notice the ‘work table’; it’s really a ping-pong table that hasn’t seen much pinging or ponging lately.

Two closet doors that we removed…one from the mini mudroom…one from the guest room.  More will be joining them, too, if I have anything to say about it.

Here we have our own little paint store.  Black, gray, green, blue, white and even some pink.  Primer?  Check.  Paint rollers?  Check.  Plastic dropcloths?  Check.  This is my secret to staying thin…hiding my paint supplies all the way down in the basement as far away as possible (under the sunroom) so that I have to walk nearly a quarter mile one way to retrieve them.

A few floor cabinets hold an overstock of toilet paper and paper towels.  Another good way to keep my figure.

Finally, a view from beneath the sunroom looking back towards the basement steps.  Man, we really need to organize down here!

To all you folks who think my house is spotless and mess-free…think again.  This basement has turned into a dumping ground for unwanted furniture and toys.  I’m officially labeling these as ‘BEFORE’ photos.  A basement intervention needs to take place this fall!

Last winter we painted our builder oak cabinets white. 

BEFORE

AFTER

Since then, we’ve gradually tackled other kitchen improvements:  added cabinet hardware, had granite countertops installed along with a new sink and faucet, DIY’d a glass-front cabinet and (just recently) put up a tile backsplash.  It’s really coming along and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I should.  After all, it’s been nearly a year since we first started updating our kitchen!

There are a few minor projects left to finish (handmade window treatment, painting the inside of the glass-front cabinet, extending the island and adding a butcher block countertop to the island) but I thought I’d tease you with a few ‘in progress’ snapshots to keep you on the edge of your seats.

The only bad thing about accomplishing these projects is that it takes time away from blogging.  I am NOT Superwoman.  So, rest assured, that while I may not be posting a lot right now I am working on stuff that will make its way into future posts!