laundry room/mud room ideas and dilemmas

i have always wanted a house with a mud room.  they are so practical and being a large family we would really utilize it like crazy.  i wish we had spaces like these:

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Source: thetrendyhome.com via Lisa on Pinterest

these are all beautiful spaces.  problem is, they all take space i don't really have.  what i have is a  laundry room that can be divided to make room for a mud room area.

this is what my laundry room looks like now.

it is just basically a narrow hallway with a washer and dryer, cabinets, and a sink.  on the left are two doors. the first door is the walk through pantry, the second door is a half bath.  the wall in between is what i need to do something with.  it's half painted, and there are paint samples on the wall because i don't want to paint it until i figure out where this room is going.
when we first looked at this house when we were buying, i thought this would be my mudroom.  this would be the place i would put my samantha entryway bench and shelf that i had bought years before and loved at our previous house that we rented.

samantha entryway collection

to my misfortune, after moving in i found that after getting the washer and dryer put in, and then the bench, there was maybe a foot of space to walk through.  not only did the bench and shelf not work in that space, it didn't work in ANY other space in the house either.  eventually, i had to give up my dream of having a mudroom and sell my samantha. 

in the meanwhile, we travel this hallway a lot.  

i do the laundry, and the family-including our dog pepper, goes in and out that back door a lot.  when it rains, this is the only entry for pepper.  we use the hooks on the wall for jackets and hats, and the kids leave their shoes on the floor below.  it can get to be a mess in there.  what to do?  i have been seeing some things on pinterest and around the net...

i think this would be perfect- it's shallow and gorgeous!  but it would have to be built, hmmmm...

it's the little things

here's another shallow one

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then there's this shoe storage bin from ikea.  it would have to be altered to make it into this, hmmmmm...

Source: ikeahackers.net via Lisa on Pinterest

there would be a bead board wall here (of course!).

and speaking of ikea, there's a way to put mud room storage together without having it custom built.  check out these arrangements using the billy bookcase system:

the polkadot chair

i was made hopeful by reading this post from melissa at the polkadot chair that i could put together something on my own.

really renata

i loved this one from really renata!

so i went to the ikea website and was so excited about all of the possibilities that lay before me!  if i only want lockers i could do that.  if i only want shoe storage, i could do that.  if i want cubbies, i could go that way too.  and if i want a combination i can do that as well.  so i stop to think about what i need the space for.  i need to store shoes and jackets for sure.  something with doors would be great so the clutter isn't visible, but not a serious need.  

before i get too happy i realize i have a problem.

i only have 62 1/4 inches of floor space.  that's not a lot of space. although the billy system works great depth-wise, lengthwise i have issues since everything comes in specific widths.  i'm still working it out.  

i might be back at having a custom system built.  which brings me to possibly building it myself.  i have plans by ana to make the braden bench and lockers.  if i buy all of the wood, have them cut at home depot, how hard could it be to put it together?  i have never built a thing in my life, but what a fun thing to start on, eh?

oh, decisions, decisions!

In love...

With everything about this space

Source: ourhomemadehappy.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Taking it all in makes my heart happy! Happy Valentine's Day!

Friday Favorites

i've been seeing some real eye candy on the net this past week- i'll try not to make this too long, no promises though...



love this bathroom with all of the bead board and the color is beautiful!

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this kitchen is a dream...and look- painted bead board!

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in this bedroom, i would rest easy each and every night

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i just found this amazing thing called chip it!  have you seen a photo or image on the web and you just love the colors in it?  you can make paint chips for it!  

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love the colors in this photo?  wanna chip for it?

badda bing!  there you go!  
i'm so giddy right now, you just don't know!
i'm off to play some more!

gym adventures

my thoughts on zumba:

this is what got me:
Want to burn 500-800 calories in a 1 hour workout, while at the same time laughing and letting loose? Then a Zumba class is just what you need!

i love to dance.  i also love music and when i work out, sometimes it's all i can do to not bust a move while i'm walking down the street or running on the treadmill.  

so naturally, i thought zumba would be a good match for me since it's dancing.  

and i love dancing.  

i have always thought i was a decent dancer.   
...then i took a zumba class.  

i don't know if i would call what i was doing dancing, but i sure had fun doing it!  

i know i looked like an idiot because i didn't know/couldn't do the moves the instructor was doing, and i was wishing the people working out outside of the dance room couldn't see me through the glass, but i was laughing at myself so much that i didn't even care!  
...much.  
(note to self: it couldn't hurt to have a glass of wine before class)

boy, the instructor could really move!  in trying to keep up, i don't think i've ever watched a woman's butt so much in my life!
i'm still learning the routines, but all in all, i get a good sweat, i get to dance, AND it's fun!

definitely one of my favorite classes- i don't watch the clock as much either!

new bathroom #1

well, finally the new bathroom is underway.  i didn't take any before pictures before the demolition started because the bathroom is so tiny.  i am hoping that with the shower gone it will create more space. 

 it's totally gutted!

we knocked out part of the wall to make a doorway so the kids can enter the bathroom from the game room.

and i made my first mood board with the items i picked out so far.

1. white eurostone shaker bath vanity with top
2. american standard thayer satin nickle 2 handle water sense bathroom faucet
3. gatco oval frameless bath mirror
4. sea gull 3 light 2 toned nickle bathroom vanity light
5. american olean 12x12 satinglo hex white/black floor tile

with the above tile, i ended up not wanting it- i saw a sample in the store and it is a special order item and the is like penny tile and uses lots of grout.  the tile i actually got came from home depot and looks like this

i am heartbroken because i really like this tile for the floor, but this is not floor tile.  it's wall tile and i bought 5 cases of it.  nothing is going on the walls except for paint and paneling so now i don't know what to do.  the contractor says i can still use it for the floor, it's just going to be extra work(which translates extra money) to get the sub-floor super smooth because the tile is thinner than normal floor tile.  now i'm worried about wear and tear because clearly wall tile was not meant to be walked on, right?  our bathroom will be a high traffic area (even though it's a half bath) with the 6 kids (and their friends because the bathroom will now be adjoined to the game room).  and will i regret going with white grout?  ugh!  


i haven't yet decided on a paint color.  it is not a well lit room so i'm going to have to choose carefully.  i will also choose the towel holder later.

well that's it for now!  i can't wait until it is all done!

gym adventures

my thoughts on cycling:  real ryder is no joke!  i had never taken a cycling class before, and it figures that when i do, it's not a stationary bike- oooooh no!  it's a real ryder bike.  it leans and moves with your body!   

to date, i have taken 6 classes and i am still getting used to cycling on this thing.  and the saddle hurts my butt. but i love it.  i think.  a session usually goes like this:
9:45- the instructor is so nice, she comes to me to see if i need help adjusting my bike, she remembers my name, and tells me to just do what i can if i feel like i can't keep up.  even if i just stay on the saddle and pedal it out, i'm still going to get a workout.  the beginning stretches are nice.
9:50- pedaling along, just getting going, finding a good pace.  piece of cake.
10:00- we're supposed to be adding tension but i don't want to add too much because my thighs are already protesting, but if i don't add enough my pace is all messed up when i stand, and the bike is swaying back and forth!  we have a problem...
10:10- holy moly she likes to stand on these bikes alot!  up, down, side to side...i can't keep up- why did i take this class again?  i have so much to do at home.  i should have stayed there and done the laundry.
10:15- how long is this freakin' song?!!  i. hate. hills.  i just have to stay on this bike for another 30 mins.  ouch. i wonder if those gelled seat covers actually work... this song is lonnnnnnnng!
10:18- i really should stop watching the clock.  i'll watch the girl in front of me, man she is really movin'!  never mind.  i'll just keep my head down and watch the floor.  just pedal...just keep pedaling
10:25- i don't think this cycling thing is for me. 
10:30- woohoo!  15 more minutes!  i think i can muster more effort than this, legs don't fail me now!
10:35- ...just...hold...on... and don't throw up.
10:40- woooooo!  cool down time!  what?!!!!  SPRINTS?!!!  what's wrong with this crazy _itch?!!!
10:45- FINALLY!  ahhhhhhh, these deep breaths and stretches feel good!
10:50- i feel good!  i think my thighs look slimmer already!  thanks(insert instructor's name here)(sorry for calling you a _itch)

so, yeah.  it's a love/hate relationship i have going on with this cycling thing but i'm not gonna quit.  these classes push me in ways i would never push myself.  on my own i would have quit 15 mins into the workout.  i hope in time, i'll get it.

martha stewart and staples?

if i hadn't seen it with my own eyes i might not have believed it, but i did and it was instant eye candy!  two of my favorite things- martha stewart product and home office supplies.  yes, i have an attraction to office supplies.  it's the wanna be organized side of me.
i only went to staples to get a compass for camryn's geometry class, and on my way out i saw the most beautiful display of martha stewart product! 

 all kinds of labels!  file folder labels, color coding labels, kraft labels, textured and metallic labels, chalkboard labels and more!

Source: staples.com via Mel on Pinterest

and binders too!  love the colors!  dividers, binder accessories, and page protectors- oh my!

i have been wanting to reorganize my old binder full of recipes that i have torn out of mags and downloaded from the internet-  makes me all excited thinking of all the possibilities!

Source: staples.com via Marlene on Pinterest

there is just so much more and i wish i could show the whole line, but you're just going to have to go to staples and see for yourself- i dare you to walk away empty handed!
i HAD to have these chalkboard labels for my kitchen and pantry

Source: staples.com via Lisa on Pinterest

they even sell the chalk too!

it adds flair to my little sugar jar!  i'm going to do the same to my oxo containers in the pantry!
i can see myself having sooooo much fun with this stuff- isn't getting organized great?!

the weekend was way too short.  didn't get to sleep in at all.  already can't wait until friday.
devyn had 3 games this weekend!  she is all done with soccer now since she decided not to continue playing tournament games.  i must admit, i am a little sad (emphasis on little) i love watching her play, and she is really good!  basketball is still going so she is still keeping busy with sports.  jay is super happy with her decision not to continue with soccer since that means no more coaching or evening practices for him until regular season starts up again in the fall.

i had a photo fail and didn't take any pics of her games.  i thought it would be good to commemorate her last soccer game of the season by taking pictures of her playing but i forgot my camera!  can you believe that?!  i was talking to one of the moms at the soccer game and she asked me an interesting question; if you could do anything you had a passion for, what would it be?  i honestly drew a blank- i have no idea!  she explained that some people have an ability to do something well, but not necessarily have a passion for it.  i immediately thought of my children who have special talents with certain things and then for no good reason they quit.  then i thought of myself- passions for me come and then they go.  i used to love taking photos, and now i don't.  the thrill of it left when it became work for me.  i was starting to get paid for something i really didn't want to do and that's disheartening.  i don't know when or how i lost my passion for it, i just did.  the same with scrapbooking.  i did it for years and never thought i would just up and quit one day.  but i did.  and now?  i don't think i have a passion for anything, except maybe getting my house to look the way i want it to.  does pinterest count as a passion?  i do love pinning!  wanna see what i pinned just this morning?

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Source: homeremediesrx.blogspot.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Lisa on Pinterest

guess i'm just a little obsessed...

now that the question is there in my head, my new prayer is that God will touch my heart with a passion that is worthwhile.

if you are still reading, tell me what your passion is!

bead board love

i am a huge fan of bead board and paneling. 

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i want it all over the house!  i even love it on the ceiling! 

in our last house i was all set to put up wainscoting in the kitchen area until jay talked me out of it last minute because we were renting.  i digressed, but i knew in my heart that i would have bead board in the house that we owned.  so we bought a house and we just happened to buy a house that had paneling in the living and dining area, which i thought was great, but the dream of bead board in my dining area was fading.  because i don't want to give up the paneling, and i wondered what it would look like if i put bead board on top of it.  would it be too much?


i was watching one of my favorite shows recently- revenge, on my ipad when i caught a good look at daniel's beach house.  i flipped when i saw this (excuse the big play arrow and settings, it's a screen shot from my ipad):

bead board and paneling exist on the same wall!  it doesn't look bad at all, i kinda like it except you'd think they'd clean it up a little for tv, right?  it does make the house look authentic though. 
i'm not saying i'm going to rush out and buy some bead board for the dining room, but that it's just nice to know someone else was thinking on the same wavelength as me. 
...that might not necessarily be a good thing...

happy monday!

happy monday!  i'm feeling pretty chipper for someone who wasn't ready for the weekend to end.  it was beautiful and nice until saturday, and then sunday it turned super windy.  which is great, if you are staying indoors.  so i am so happy that our kids' sports events were on saturday instead of sunday or it would have been a pretty bad weekend because dev had a soccer scrimmage and drew had a track meet. 

jay and i went to see the girl with the dragon tattoo.  i read the book and saw the swedish version- which, i must say, was very good and i don't usually like movies with subtitles but it followed the book so closely.  the hollywood version was still pretty good, but threw me a little at the end in they changed it.  i was thinking, did they change it? or do i just not really remember what happened?  it was still good.

one other thing i did this weekend was something i had been meaning to do for weeks.  it was a daunting task so i just kept putting it off.  finally, i was forced to do something because one of the kids did something that i just couldn't let go by.  so i tackled the beast.  what's the beast?
let me introduce you to the beast.

yep!  my fridge!  i have been putting off cleaning it for so long and then somehow, one of the kids manage to spill juice which ended up beneath one of the crispers, so...

everything had to come out- the shelves and the drawers to all be cleaned, and boy did they need it!  i didn't take a before photo because i didn't think about blogging about my dirty fridge!  it's clean and i threw out lots of stuff that wasn't being used.  it looks so much better now, and i feel better about it.

it still a little crowded in some spots but that's because i am an organizing freak and certain things have to be put together on the same shelf.  just trust me when i say it looks soooooo much better than it did!  not that it looked anything like this-

stories from a to z

does your fridge need a good cleaning?  go to stories from a to z to read how to clean your fridge in 20 mins.  or maybe 90!

a new year's list

i said i don't do resolutions anymore, but shari made a list.  and i like lists.  so i made a list of things that i want to do more of (remember, these are not resolutions ;D)

things i want to do:
more dates with hubby
join a bible study
set time aside daily for exercise
cook more
have family dinners
blog more
take a family photo
use my camera more
hire a contractor to finish the bathrooms and  do a kitchen remodel

books i want to read:
made to crave
the known world
divergent
the girl who played with fire

movies i want to see:
the hunger games
the vow
the avengers
extremely loud and incredibly close
the hobbit

things i would like to have(attainable):
a new fridge
new living room furniture
a dishwasher

so that's my list.  it would be nice to be able to check/cross things off, but we'll see!

fresh start

it's that time of year again.  no resolutions, i don't do those.  it's the time of year when i want to start things fresh, clean everything out, and start over.  i want to make things better than they were before, making the house more functional.  yes, i am talking organization.  again.  i'll get there.  someday. 
if you want to get there too, the PROCESS is your force.  use it.
and, i'll be going over my organize it board at pinterest also.  check it out.

walking

hitting the pavement today.  i do have a gym membership, but it's a lot harder for me to go during the day with carter home with me.  i set my alarm to go off at 5am so that i could go before the family woke up, but i just can't make myself function that early in the morning.  i know, not very motivated.

i decided that i should at least walk pepper.  some movement is better than none i always say.

i get exercise, pepper gets out of the house, and carter plays at the park.  everyone wins!

Happy New Year!

i'm baaaaack!  hello? 
i kind of dropped off the face of the blog-o-sphere so i thought this would be a good time to start again.  i also thought i would start with a recap of last years events since 6 months of it isn't even recorded.  i'm only going to post pictures for those months since i probably already posted the same pics in the earlier months.  does that make sense?  anyway...
here we go!


january- this month i set some home goals.  nothing happened in the time frame that i wanted, but how many did I get done?  i finally finished painting the cabinets(can't believe that took me a whole year!) but i didn't repaint the kitchen yet because we have decided to remove all upper cabinets.  it just didn't make sense to me to paint, remove the cabinets, then repaint.  besides, it gave me time to rethink the gray kitchen.  i'm leaning more towards a creamy yellow. 
i did a photo wall in the dining area, but not by my own will.  jay got tired of having empty walls and grabbed his drill and my shelves that i intended for the game room, and asked me what formation i wanted.  i have to admit that if he hadn't taken the initiative, the dining room walls would probably still be empty today. 
jay and i painted the pink bathroom.  again, i picked a color that i loved, and again the color was wrong.  i chose benjamin moore's revere pewter which is supposed to be a gray/beige color.  it is green in my bathroom! ugh!

february- i became hooked on pinterest.  we celebrated jay and keith's birthdays this month.  my sister passed away. 

march- cam and i flew to florida for my sister's funeral.  it was a sad ordeal indeed, but i am so glad i took cam with me.  i have no family nearby so it was nice that she got to meet people on my side.  her black folk, so to speak.  she got to experience church in a way she had never seen- she said to me in amazement, "mom, have you ever been to a church like this before?"  i told her, "i grew up in church like this!" 
jay suggested that while we were there...so close to orlando...we might not have this opportunity again...we should go to disney world.  i couldn't help but laugh, obviously he had never been to disney world.  if he had, he would have known that you can't see disney world in a day!  when we go to disneyland-even though we could do it in one day we always stay for 4 days!  disney world would be crazy to try so i did something even better.  we went to the wizarding world of harry potter at universal studios and had the best time of our lives (especially for cam)!  she will never forget this trip- and it is her dream to go back to visit family again.  that makes me happy.

april- this month was definitely a month of reflection after the passing of my sister.  what should i be doing with my life, what path to take, that sort of thing.  i came to to conclusion that i am exactly where God wants me to be right now. 
drew turned 16!  he continued to do well in track- he is amazing!  i can't believe that this boy is growing into a man so quickly! 
i took the kids on a field trip to the santa barbara mission and museum of natural history which they really enjoyed. 
cam was inducted into the national jr. honor society. 
we spent easter this year at my brother in law's house for the first time.  we usually go to my mother in law's who lives 3 hours away.  my brother in law only lives 30 minutes away so that was nice. 
what wasn't nice was that drew waited until the last minute to get his girlfriend a birthday present so he and i spent easter driving all over ventura county trying to find an open store that carried what we were looking for.

may- soooo ready for school to end! preparing for end of the school year stuff and i think every post this month had to do with pinterest!

june- annnnd ths is the month where things start to get a little crazy.  crazy busy that is. 

cam graduated from middle school and is officially a freshman in high school!  eeek!  my little girl is a high schooler now!
drew is now officially a junior.

taina and i took dev and molly to san diego like a few days after school was out.  we visited the zoo and old town san diego (where i must say i had the best mexican food and margaritas of my life!).
the kids took turns all summer going to g-ma's house.

the boys went to vbs and i was drafted to be the vbs photographer.  i have been involved in vbs for many years working in different areas but being photographer is the best!  all the kids want to participate!

i turned 27 again!
then there were all the various play dates, and get togethers- it's all a blur.

july-

beach days, pool days, birthdays, and campouts.

august-  this month we celebrated jay's parents 50th wedding anniversary.
and more beach days, pool days, and playdates and sleepovers until school started at the end of the month.

september-  getting into the swing of school this month.  dev and deacon started public school, keith was moved from the school he went to last year to the school that dev and deacon were attending.  for my sanity i needed them all in the same school.  dev turned 13!  uh oh, two teenage girls in the house! cam started high school with a rough start.  she misses middle school.  she has no friends at her new school and feels like she has to start over.  it's hard when you're shy. 

she started cross country and hated it in the beginning, but was warmng up to it by the end of the month.

then the time everyone had been waiting for finally came: disneyland vacation!  two parks spread over 4 days and i still felt like we didn't get to do everything we wanted to because it was more crowded than i expected it to be.  we go while school is in to avoid the crowds but i guess everyone else had the same idea...

october-  soccer, volleyball, and cross country is what kept us busy this month.  we also threw in some ninjas and the pumpkin patch.

lets not forget homecoming...

november-  sadly, i hardly took any pictures this month.  soccer was still going strong and we were getting ready for the holidays.  cross country came to an end and cam was happy she participated.
we spent thanksgiving at g-ma's house and the christmas tree went up the day after.


december-  another month for not taking any pictures- shame on me.  i scrambled all month to prepare for christmas.  this time of year stresses me out.  and i have proof- i went to the doctor because i was having headaches and nosebleeds and was diagnosed with high blood pressure so high, he put me on meds right away.  joy.
everyone enjoyed christmas and i regret that i didn't slow down enough to do some baking and put more emphasis on the reason we celebrate christmas.  i hope that this year i will get myself in gear, and shop early so i can have more time to do those things.
for the first time, i made a list for jay and he got me everything on my list: a keurig, more uggs, a new iphone, and a le creuset dutch oven.  well, almost everything on the list.  he didn't get me the dutch oven really, i have taina's daughter, hannah to thank for that.  i once took jay inside the le crueset outlet and he pretty much stated that he wouldn't be buying anything from that store- ever.  hannah got a seasonal job there, and they gave her a shopping day with a $400 limit with 80% off!  twice!  i got my beautiful red dutch oven that i've always wanted for super cheap!  i think i wanna work there next christmas!

well, that's my year in review.  hopefully i can get back into the blogging, but truthfully, ever since i got my ipad, my computer has been used less and less so we shall see...