Entryway Reno

Rumour has it that in order to have an effective before/after renovation post one must have before photos. I fail. I have no idea how it happened but either I forgot to take before photos or I somehow lost them when the laptop crashed. I am fairly certain I didn’t take any because I know I had all my files backed up. I guess when I took the initial before photos of the house when we took possession the entry way was the last thing on my radar and then when he started working away at it, I didn’t realize there weren’t any. Which stinks. Because it would be nice to show you just how far this space has come.

So will you just trust me on it? That the walls were crumbling and falling apart and that there was a large, open hole that went straight to the concrete floor of the basement? Um, yeah. No joke. Most people would have assumed it was meant to be a laundry chute but considering the house didn’t have any laundry hookups when we moved in (again, no joke) I’m not entirely sure what the purpose was. Except to pose an extreme danger to young children. When we moved in, the “hole” was quickly covered with a piece of plywood until Evan got the space finished.

This photo of our hallway is the only one I have that shows any amount of the before of the entry way. You can just barely see the door to the garage and the hole on the bottom right that was covered by a lovely turquoise curtain.

Anyhow, use your imagination. It was bad. Really bad.

This is the space that comes in from the garage. It’s our primary entrance and because there is no (functional) closet space in this area of the house, we needed to make it more useful for our needs. Eventually we’d like to have the garage at a state where we can put coats/shoes but even in the winter, this is no good because who wants to put freezing cold boots on when they go outside? We have a front door and front closet where we store most of the shoes/coats/hats/mitts but we like to avoid using this entrance, especially in the winter to avoid tracking dirt into the dining room.

This is how the space looks today. Evan replaced the floor, fixed the walls, put white paneling on the bottom half of the walls to even them out and painted the upper portion the same colour as the rest of the hallway and bathroom. He painted the existing door white. He added hooks for coats and transformed the elusive hole to the basement into a permanent shoe storage cubby. It’s perfect for keeping shoes out of the way – and accessible enough that we don’t end up leaving them tossed all over the floor when we come in.

  

On the opposite wall of the coat hooks is the door to the basement and this high (not very functional) closet. I need a ladder – not just a chair – a ladder to get to it. So for now, with a huge unfinished basement for storage, it sits empty. It doesn’t even seem to make sense to put seasonal things in there. Much easier to store them downstairs. Maybe someday I’ll find a use for it.

Because the door to the basement swings into the entry way, there wasn’t enough room to make the coat shelf big enough to have baskets for hats/mitts/scarves and so on. So for now, a few of them are tossed around but most of them are still either in the bench in the hallway or in the front closet. Scarves and kid gloves that are on a string can hang on the hooks. Not the most ideal situation, but I haven’t yet thought of something better.

I try to keep most of our outdoor apparel hanging in the closet in the dining room and reserve this space for our most used stuff so it doesn’t get to jam packed but already it seems that it is becoming the catch all area.

The space still needs a bit of work. The door is painted (and looks 100% better than it did before) but eventually I’d love to see it replaced. The photos in the frame of the key holder need to be updated. And I may need to find something for the wall above the shoe box or maybe some kind of sign above the door. I’m not sure about this yet. It is a small, busy, potentially clutter filled area so I may just want to leave that wall bare to cut down on the craziness of this area of the house. Any suggestions?

Messy Mom Monday

Today I’m linking up with Brittany and Jess for Messy Mom Monday. They had the genius idea of doing a link up where we can all show off just what our houses really look like on a Monday morning. Because here’s the truth. Kids are messy. They make houses messy. And as moms, sometimes we forget that every other mom is in the same boat.

So here’s we go. I’m coming clean. Or, um, messy.

First up, we’ve got the blankets that are constantly strewn from the blanket box in an effort to make a bed for the babies. If you look closely, you may see one baby sleeping on the blankets. If I had of timed the picture better, you may have even been able to see a busy toddler having a rest in the blanket box, itself. Next, the kitchen counter. Oh, the counter. At any given time there are clean dishes waiting to be put away, piles of recyclables waiting to get carried to the garage and possibly dirty dishes waiting to be washed. Our dishwasher is broken right now, so the dirty dishes appear more regularly than often. And then, the “toy room”. Which should be more accurately described as the “toy corner”, which is located in the dining room. You might look at the photo and think it doesn’t look so bad but let me assure you, this is CLEAN. I took this photo at 8:30 a.m., before she had time to totally destroy everything. By 8:35 a.m.? Totally different story. And yes, Daddy’s lunch box is in the toy corner. Why? Who knows.

Moving on, we’ve got the Christmas decorations. Uh huh. That’s right. I put all of my Christmas stuff away on December 30th. Except, apparently, these two angels and a sleigh full of potpourri on the back of the toilet. And I didn’t even notice until earlier this week. And yes, they’re still out.

And now. The dresser. Oh my goodness. The dresser. My dresser always used to be clean. And tidy. Without random books, bags, paperwork, lonely socks, pants that need to be hemmed, birthday cards and other random junk haphazardly tossed there, only to be forgotten and ignored for months. But, those days disappeared. Long ago. Right about the time when the spare room/office was transformed into a nursery, to be exact. Because now? There is just no where else to stash this stuff. No where. So there it sits. Forever.

And finally, the piece du resistance: the pantry and fridge top. I have been ‘meaning’ to clean out and organize the pantry for weeks. You know. Good intentions. The good thing about using an iPhone to-do list app is how easy it is to send something on today’s to-do list to tomorrow’s to-do list. The bad thing about using an iPhone to-do list app is how easy it is to send something on today’s to-do list to tomorrow’s to-do list. The worst thing about using an iPhoe to-do list app is how easy it is to delete it all together, sit down on the couch and watch Friday Night Lights. So, basically, what I’m saying is, the next time this pantry gets cleaned out and organized will probably be when I’m packing up to move. As Brittany so kindly pointed out, that’s why pantry’s have doors!

There, there. I know you’re all surprised. You thought I was perfect and my house was immaculate. I’m sorry to burst your bubble. Now go on, link up with your own dirty little secrets!

I Rock

Sometimes I find myself wandering around the internet – checking out blogs, looking at people’s pins, reading tweets – and I find myself feeling inadequate. Because I can’t do what she does. Or I don’t look as pretty as she does. Or I’m not as talented as she is. Today that happened. I was fiddling around with some things for Eva’s first year photo book and birthday party and I flipped. I had an idea in my head but I could not seem to figure out how to execute said idea. So, instead of being rational and taking a breath, trying again, or perhaps asking for help. I just quit. I deleted what I had been working on and quit. Because I couldn’t do it. Sure, what I was trying to do may have been easy for you or you or you. But it wasn’t easy for me and that made me feel like crap and made me feel jealous of people who are “better” than me.

But, after getting my booty smacked by a few good friends and an unexpected, encouraging text from my hubby telling me how good the cobbler I baked last night was – I realized it’s time to turn this around. Who cares if I’m not good at x,y or z? God gave me talents, skills and abilities. Some of them I appreciate but unfortunately, many of them I don’t.

I wish I was athletic. I wish I could sing. I wish I was more artistic and creative. I wish I was more talented on the computer. I wish, I wish, I wish. But enough wishing. It’s time to stop. Because? I rock.

I rock at cooking. I feed my family good meals most nights of the week. Sometimes we get take out. Sometimes I make chicken fingers. But mostly? We eat good, homemade meals.

I rock at baking. I can make a mean apple pie. My pastry is probably better than anything you’ve ever tasted in your life. My brownies? You’ll die if you eat them. My husband makes sure to keep this talent of mine well-tuned.

I rock at organization and efficiency. I thrive on to-do lists. I think about what needs to be done on any given day and I do it.

I rock at memorization. I have the world’s most ridiculous memory. I can remember bizarre details about events – such as the clothes someone was wearing, the food we were eating or the exact words of a conversation. Sometimes my husband wishes I didn’t have this kind of memory, but it serves me well.

I rock at research and learning. I exceled in my undergrad and graduate programs.Sometimes I forget it, but I am a well-educated woman with a Masters degree in a research field. I have two completed theses under my belt. 

I rock at keeping my house. It may not be absolutely spotless at all times, but it’s tidy, it’s comfortable and it’s our home.

I rock at making my bed every single morning.

I rock at changing cloth diapers. I can get that girl’s diaper off, booty wiped, new dipe on, cover on, clothes back on, diaper rinsed and in the diaper pail faster than you can say POOP.

I rock at singing The Little Birdie song, doing stinky feet and playing with the shape sorter.

I rock at being Eva’s mom.

So, there. I said it. I rock. I may not rock in all the ways I wish I could but I rock in the ways God intended me to. And that’s what matters.

So, come on. Spill it.

What do you rock at?

One more for the road....

Join in for the last random dozen of the year as 2009 comes to a close. Click on the button below to link up!

1. Do you find it gross to share drinks with family? Friends? No. I'm not really a germaphoby type person. In fact, I've been known to use the FD's toothbrush on occasion when absolutely necessary so I would say that sharing a drink with him is mild in comparison. I probably wouldn't share a drink with a complete stranger but if I knew you for at least 5 minutes, I would.

2. What have you learned this year? (You didn't see a question of that weight coming, did you? At least not for #2.) I'm going to stick with an easy answer - I have learned that baking my own bread is not as difficult or time consuming as I would have thought. In January 2009 I made a goal to stop buying bread and start baking my own. And, aside from one package of store bought tortillas purchased in an "emergency" in February, I have not purchased a single bread product for a year. I have learned a lot about being more homemade than I ever thought I would be. I have learned a lot about being a frugal homemaker... there is still much to learn, but I think the way I do "home" has changed so much over the past year.

3. When do you dismantle the Christmas decorations? Well, we set a record this year for the earliest Christmas tree taker downers ever. In fact, on boxing day, my uncle said that if we ever do that again, we should let them know and make some sort of deal, since they were putting up their tree the same day we were taking ours down! On a normal year (read: a year when my tree doesn't completely die a week before Christmas), we take down our tree and our decorations in early January. The rest of my Christmas decorations are still up and will be put away sometime next week.

4. Something you wish to accomplish before the end of 2009 is: Enjoy a few more days of holidays whilst visiting with some dear friends.

5. How do you feel about winter (after Christmas)? It is ballZ. With a capital Z. Especially since winter officially started for us two days after Christmas.

6. Have you participated in after-Christmas sales? Yes. Although here in Canada, we prefer to call them Boxing Day Sales. I bought all of my wrapping supplies for next year, a Christmas door mat, salt and pepper shakers to match my Christmas dishes, a wall calendar and some clothes and shoes all for great prices. They practically paid me to buy all that stuff. You'd be stupid not to.

7. Do you have plans for New Year's Eve? I do believe we'll be hosting a wee gathering with some of our closest friends. Snacking on munchies, playing games, and attempting to set a record for the most people we can squeeze into our wee home overnight.

8. Is there anything special awaiting you in January? Two new classes of students, my husband's birthday, a weekend with my nephew, a visit to some family in the states, bridesmaid dress shopping, baby showering, and an 80th birthday party.

9. If your life this year was a movie, what category or genre would it be? (Romance, Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Suspense, Farcical, etc.) My life as a movie would definitely be the same genre as Julie and Julia. A biography/drama/comedy. I watched it over the holidays with my entire family and what was more entertaining than the movie was seeing them laugh at all the parts that reminded them of me. "It's like my readers need me, in a way. Like I fill a void in their life. That they would be somehow void if I didn't write".

10. How much time per day do you spend blogging? Please do not lie. I will know. I average about 1-2 hours daily.

11. Who runs your household? Her.

12. Share one hope/dream for 2010. Thanks to the encouragement and inspiration from two fabulous gals, SnoWhite and Jenny, my goal is to read the entire new testament in 2010.

Feather Your Nest

As this is the first week of autumn, some wonderful bloggers are hosting a fall festival of fun, food and friends. Today's question is posed by Hoosier Homemade: What do you do to feather your nest for fall?

If I haven't made it obvious enough already, fall is my favourite season. I love all that fall entails. I love the sights, the smells, the tastes, the colours, everything. The only thing I don't love about fall is that crazy white stuff that comes next ... but we just try not to think about that.

There are a number of things I do to get ready for fall. Many of them I have already written about so, I decided to recap my "nest feathering" in a short list.

• Decorate - I am obsessed in love with seasonal decorations. Autumn and Christmas especially. You can see most of my autumn decorations here. I just might have to write a second post about this though, since I have already picked up a few more goodies since I wrote that post. I like to decorate early in the season so that I can enjoy my decorations for a good length of time, before I put them away and bring out the Christmas stuff!
• Preserve - this year we planted a much bigger garden than we have in the past. Yesterday, I finished with my tomatoes but canning more diced and stewed tomatoes. The cellar is stocked with jars upon jars of goodness to get us through the winter. Along with canning, I also freeze a lot of produce throughout the summer and fall such as peaches, blueberries, strawberries, zucchini and peppers.
• Organize the freezer - along with the preserving, I take some time in early autumn to reorganize and take stock of the freezer to be sure that all of those older items are being used up before new stuff goes in.
  
• Clean - I tend to do my major spring cleaning in the fall. There's just something about having the patio door open with fresh air streaming in that makes me want to clean. Also, the dog sheds a LOT less starting in September. This might make you think I would clean less, but it actually makes me clean more because when her hair covers every surface of our home in the summer, I often fall victim to the "what's the point of cleaning when it will be covered in hair in 5 seconds" mentality. So, I enjoy a clean house much more in the fall when I can enjoy it for more than a day or two at a time.
  
• Light candles - autumn scents fill our home at this time of year. I go through oodles of scented candles.
  
• Bake - I love to bake treats with pumpkin, apple and other fall flavours.
• Make a schedule - autumn marks the return to school for me and so it also means getting back on track and setting a more rigid schedule for myself than in the summer months.
• Swap clothes - I keep all of my clothes out all year because I have big dresser and a closet but I do like to go through and reorganize everything so that the items I will be wearing more often are more accessible. Also, I put the FD's off season work clothes away so I will be switching them up very soon.
  
• Begin planning for Christmas - call me crazy but a big part of this season is planning for the next. I am a planner by nature and so it is necessary for me to begin budgeting, planning and shopping early so that I can avoid the seemingly unavoidable stress of the Christmas season.
• Say goodbye to my hubby - autumn is also the FD's favourite season, but for a very very different reason.
  

I think that covers most of the things I do to get ready for this most bestest season of the year. What do you do? Head over to Hoosier Homemade to tell us about it and to see what other's are up to.