Oh the joys!!!

Sick baby with influenza and pneumonia +  washer and dryer out of service for a week=

That itsy-bitsy little pile of laundry you see above is just the tail end of it.  I have to do a gazillion loads a week to keep on top of it all.  (Luckily the only part of doing laundry that I dislike is putting it away, and that's usually a chore I pawn off onto my kiddos-heehee.)  Boy oh boy is it a pain in the keister not having a working washer and dryer (especially since my little pee-body kindergartner likes to pee in her pants (as to not interupt her fun) leaving me with lots of stinky clothes to wash.  Yeah...not so fun!!  She had exhausted every pair of pants, leggings, and tights by Friday, so I had to send her to school in a holey pair of tights.  The key to keeping her from pitching a fit about it was strategically placing the hole where it could not be seen before she got on the bus-HA!!  Sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do. 

Happy to report that our lil guy is on the mend.  He voluntarily sat upright this morning (something he hasn't done in two days) and watched Toy Story.  An even better sign that he's feeling better, is that he's back to toting around his beloved Minnie Mouse.  Phew....I was starting to get a little worried!!

On the subject of laundry....

I'm not going to say we have a small house (as to not get people with smaller house's tighty whities in a bunch) but let's just say we use EVERY square inch of it. Though we use all of our square footage possible, I really dislike clutter, so organization is a must! 

My laundry room-aka my office-is only about 40 square feet, yet is where I spend a great deal of time.  It's near the door out to the garage so it doubles as a mud room.  In order to make the most of the small space, we stacked our washer and dryer and put cupboards and shelves everywhere we possibly could. My suggestion to y'all, is to think outside of the box when utilizing space.  Here are some pics of my laundry room/office....


Here's one angle of the room.  Here you can see my w/d stacked with shelves on the side (handily installed by my hubby), and laundry sorting cart below.   Above the shelves and w/d, are cupboards that span the small wall. I keep a stool in the room to reach items in the cupboards, or to perch upon when my kids, or myself, need a "time out".  Haha!! Not kidding.

To the right of the w/d are floor to ceiling shelves-somewhat hidden behind door from this angle. (Also lovingly installed by my hubby.)

The shelves house many-a-things from winter gear hidden in baskets, clothes to mend, shoes shoes and more shoes, weight scale (that I sometimes muster up the courage to get on), etc.....

Behind the door next to the shelves are hooks holding our jackets, backpacks, church bags, hats, etc...

*Notice to the left of the jackets on the side of the shelves, we've installed a school type pencil sharpener, and hung our dust buster, as well. Told you NO square footage goes unused!!

On the same wall as the door, across from laundry sorter, is a shelf to hang-dry clothes.



Here are adjoining shelves above the door to maximize storage space.  With the use of my handy-dandy stool, I can get whatever I need up there in a snap!

*I was afraid the shelf would look weird sticking out above the door as you approached it from outside the laundry room, but it really doesn't.  I kinda like it actually!

Last but not least, we chose to use a Travertine tile in neutral tones because it was the most practical option.  Though my first choice aesthetically, would have been white honeycomb tiles, or black slate, I'm glad we went with this flooring.  Being that the room doubles as a mud room (name says it all), practicality won.  

Ian's "in touch" ways.....

Ian.....my burly little guy who looks all boy (well, except for the high heels he's usually struttin' in, with a purse on his shoulder, and a baby doll in tow).  So big deal, you may say....  I certainly realize this can be a normal phase little boys go through-something I've never discouraged with mine.  Problem is, he seems to be taking it to another level.  For instance, he'd MUCH prefer to watch a girly movie to a boyish one, and MUCH prefer to dance like a ballerina than rough house, or play dress up to cars any day. 

It's come to be a joke amongst those closest to us.  We'll be playing at a friends house when, without fail, Ian will emerge in a princess dress-jewelery and all. 

Now, with all that being said, I am ALL for a well rounded dude.  After all, well rounded, is often how I proudly describe my hubby.  He's naturally athletic, yet is brilliant at tickling the ivories!  He's into the arts, and was the proud Drama Club President in high school (said with my head held high). He enjoys hanging with his buddies and getting the testosterone flowing with the all-too-macho UFC, yet doesn't bat an eye at hangin' with me and my girlfriends.  All great qualities in my book.  However, I just can't help but feel like my lil' Ian is tipping the estrogen scale a bit. 

I've never been one to adhere to the ol' classic nursery rhyme about boys being made of snips and snails and puppy dog tails, and girls of sugar and spice and everything nice (as to imply that boys are all things rough and tumble and girls are, well....all things nice).  We're not all that cut and dry, and by golly shouldn't be, but come on!!!

Now, this isn't something I'm yet to lose sleep over, and can still see the humor in-even find it a bit endearing.  On a selfish note, Ian's "in touch" ways could bode well for me.  He could be my personal shopper and stylist, we could have lunch dates and chat about frills and fluff, but the truth of the matter is, in the future, his punk peers may not find it to be quite as endearing as I do.  

I do realize he's a bit young to come to a determination as to who he will grow to be, and I may have nothing to fret over. If truth be told, at the end of the day, I will embrace WHOMEVER/HOWEVER he turns out to be.

cozy scarf-throw

Thinking outside the box...

I kinda have an obsession with throw blankets (and pillows, picture frames, etc).  Unfortunately, I often find the perfect fabric in the form of a purse, hat, scarf, etc.  It drives me bonkers! Consequently, I've learned to think outside the box in order to get the look I desire.

I searched high and low for the perfect throw blanket, when I stumbled upon none other than what I had been envisioning, but in the form of a dang scarf!!  I decided to buy the whole lot of them and make my throw blanket (well, actually two of them-just couldn't get enough of it!). 

Here's the result..........              

Love me a knit throw (especially a mustard colored one with rad pom-pom tassels)!  Problem is I don't knit, or sew much for that matter!

Any-hoo, here's how I turned the scarves into the perfect throw.....

I simply lined up two of the scarves and hand stitched them together on the back side, with matching thread and a long sturdy needle.  I then kept adding scarf-strips until I had the desired size I wanted (in this case, I used 5 scarves per blanket).

Here's a close up of the underside stitching...

I chose to hand sew the scarves together, but I'm sure a skilled sewer could whip this up on the sewing     machine in no time.  I, personally, enjoyed the down time where I could sit and watch a show while I mindlessly sewed the scarves together (though, it did take several hours to do it this way).

* This was not a cheap project by the time I bought all the scarves, but well worth the splurge. This may not be a realistic project for you, but more than anything, I hope to get you thinking outside of the box.

Here's an example of an inexpensive, fun, ruffled apron that I turned into a throw pillow...



Combining two frames+cool kid art=one rad look

Combining two frames+cool kid art=one rad look!I had two frames that I loved, but couldn't quite figure out what to do with. I combined two frames and ended up with a fun frame with lots of depth. Here's how I did it.....

What you'll need:
-Two frames (one large, one small-er)
-hammer
-4 small nails
-nails/screws to hang finished frame
-sand paper
-paint brush
-paint
-simple picture hanging kit (frame prob already has existing)

First step....
The small frame had mirror glass in it that I had to take out. A typical frame will have clear glass, which will be perfect for the art or picture of your choosing.
In this case, I used two different sized, identical frames. I think it would be fun to use mismatching frames, as well. I love mixing styles, and this would be a fun way to do so. The only must, is that the smaller of the two frames covers and overlaps the opening of the larger frame. (Overlapping them a bit is going to be what gives the frame depth-setting it apart from your average frame.)

Second step....

Place smaller frame centered between larger frame opening. Hammer small nails into corners of small frame-attaching it to large frame. You can then putty nail holes and paint over top, though because I was going for a rustic look, I chose not to putty the nails. You can also use liquid nails (comes in caulking tube at home improvement store) applied on underside of smaller frame to reinforce, if you'd like. (I chose not to for mine.)

Third step....

Sand lightly over newly constructed frame (not necessary to completely remove finish-just enough to take off existing sheen. Paint, newly constructed frame, the color of your choosing. Sand for distressed look, or leave as is for a cleaner look. I love both! Let dry.

Fourth step....

Insert art or photo into frame opening, then you're ready to hang! Hang on existing hooks (if it doesn't have hooks, you can buy simple picture hanging kits at home improvement store).



Here are a few pics of my finished project....

Before.....boring!!! After.....

This project took under an hour to do (not including paint drying time), and look how neato it is!!

Doooo iiiiit.....I dare you!!

The infamous grey hair and wrinkles...

When I first discovered a grey hair amongst my luscious locks, and a wrinkle or two around my baby blues, I was so disappointed! I used to furrow my brows in dismay when I'd discover yet another grey hair had sprouted, and yet another wrinkle had appeared...out of what seemed like thin air. Though lately, I've changed my tune over the whole conundrum. After all, what do the little invaders represent? Age, yes, but with age comes experience, growth and ultimately....WISDOM! Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I'm still a youngin' on the grown-up scale, and there's still much to be learned and much growth to come, but -- by golly -- I've earned what wrinkles and greys I've so far accumulated....therefore, I'm choosing to embrace them proudly!

Now, with all that being said, does it mean I'll never color my hair, or wear makeup again? Heck no! I'm not committing to becoming "granola mom" (and ditching the over-the-shoulder-bolder-holder while I'm at it)! I'm simply saying, at the end of the day, when the concealer wears off and the wrinkles are more prevalent, and when the hair dye starts to fade (unveiling the little grey hairs), I'm going to look at them in a different light....and keep the scowl off my face.