Because I promised - here's my storage solution

Because I promised more than a month ago, and then FORGOT! (gasp!) I am now posting these pictures of our storage solution for the boys' room.

Here is where we started. One little bookcase, not nearly big enough to hold all of their books. There were also three small baskets that went on the middle shelf between the book shelves, to hold toys. In addition, there was a shelf on the wall above the bookcase, which we used to display trophies. We took it down when we painted. Sorry that you don't get to see it, but you're really not missing much.

One day at Target, I spotted a little storage unit, made of cubicles. It looked something like this. I thought, "Oh, yeah, right. I need about 20 of those for my kids' stuff." And then it dawned on me, "I need 20 of those for my kids stuff!" I went to Hubby with my idea. He told me that those cubes would be a snap to build, and so we (*cough* he) worked out dimensions, priced the wood and materials (screws, paint, and sandpaper), and built them!

We purchased some fabric bins from Target, because I knew I'd need someplace for the boys to corral their action figures, toy cars, and miscellaneous gear. Hubby measured the dimensions of the fabric bins, getting an idea of how big the cubes should be. He also had the stroke of genius to make the lower 1/3 of the cube wall less enclosed, thus getting the clothes hamper, Lego bin, and Plan Toys garage sorted away, too.

So there you have it! Doesn't it look great? You'll notice in the lower right, he built that shelf up off the floor just a bit, to allow for air flow from the vent. And it works perfectly. Now the boys have so much more room to play, since the new beds & storage unit are in. Perfect!

Boys' bedroom renovation

The boys' room has been in need of attention for more than a year, now. We're finally getting to it, thanks to our tax refund. Here is a before photo of Adam & Luke's bed. Notice that the walls are blue - an ugly, cheap shade of blue that I HATED.

Poor Joey started out in this toddler bed, squished into the opposite corner of the room. (Please forgive the fuzzy picture. It was the only one I could dig out that had this toddler bed pictured.)

Cory eventually made that toddler bed into a trundle, so that it slid under the bunks, giving the boys more floor space. The disadvantage was that Joey had no bed to call his own during the day - no place to keep his special things just to himself. Oh, and eventually one of the casters fell off, so Joey's bed had to be propped up in one corner with books lest he roll out toward the lopsided corner!

You'll also notice, in the above pics, that the boys (ahem, LUKE) had started to peel the ugly blue paint off the wall. Did I mention that I HATED that blue? Hated it. Really.

Hubby and I started talking renovation of the boys' room last fall. Since we've had so much time to plan and talk about it, we came up with a few solutions.

The first solution was a better color for those darn walls! They're khaki-colored, now, except for one wall (not pictured) which is a smart, navy blue. I love it. The second solution was for Hubby to build triple bunk beds. Boy, these suckers are STURDY.

You'll notice that the ladder does not extend away from the bed as it did from the previous bunks, so the footprint of the bunks is smaller. We've lost the storage space under the bunks, though, because the lowest bunk is only a couple of inches above the floor. We have plans to build a wall of cubes to house books, toys, and trophies. I hope to post more pictures when the room is finally complete.

Have I mentioned how happy I am to have gotten rid of the UGLY blue paint?

Chalkboard pantry

Not a great picture, I know, because it's a tight spot. But we painted our pantry door with chalkboard paint, and we LOVE it! I can write our weekly menu on the door, and the kids (Hubby) like to draw all kinds of pictures on it! And now, I have somewhere to write all those great, inspiring quotes I find that I want to remember. (I have to memorize them fast, though, because the kids LOVE to erase the chalkboard.) 

Big Props to Hubby!

Because he painted his hair, and the bedroom. Whoo hoo! 

Batten down the hatches!

Winter is coming here in the Midwest. We went for a walk this evening, and even in my trusty fleece pullover (a big SCORE from Goodwill) I was chilled. November is just around the corner - less than a week, in fact. So what do we do here to keep warm and be frugal? 

Glad you asked. 

First, we keep the thermostat low. I try to keep the thermostat at 66, but sometimes we (*cough* Hubby) turn it up to 68. We wear layers in the house - jeans, long socks, slippers (a MUST on hardwood floors), t-shirt, and sweater or sweatshirt. Bedtime means legwarmers, flannel pants, and a bed dressed with several good blankets and flannel sheets. The layers of clothing have to be just a bit loose: enough that body heat can get trapped between your body and the clothing. (Well, except for the socks, of course.) We also keep a couple of throws in the living room, for snuggling under during TV watching. I'm working on a denim and flannel throw, but since the sewing machine needs a tune up, that's a project that's currently on hold. 

We replaced our windows in the summer of 2007; the windows we had before that were original to the house, circa 1946. Our current windows are low-e, and I. Love. Them. I also made some draft stoppers for the base of our outside doors. They're just tubes of clearance fleece, filled with beans. We need to replace the weatherstripping around two of the outside doors. That's a cheap fix that will reap benefits. 

Lastly, we make lots of soups and stews, bake homemade bread and goodies, and drink hot tea, coffee, and cocoa in the winter. It makes the house smell good and warms us up from the inside. 

For future projects, I would really like to divert our dryer vent back into the basement (we have an electric dryer, I've heard one shouldn't try this with a gas dryer) for those rare times that I don't hang laundry to dry. Our home needs humidified in the winter, so I doubt redirecting our dryer will create a humidity problem. I think that it'll actually help. 

Another project I'd like to try is to make fleece curtains for our bedroom. Our room is the top floor of the house (it's a dormer room), and gets pretty darn cold. Since no one is up there during the day (and it doesn't need to look pretty) I'm thinking of hanging some clearance fleece (leftovers from my draft stopper project) in front of the windows to further insulate them. 

Winter is my very favorite season. There's something about the coziness of our home in winter, all the fuzzy fabrics, the cuddling on the couch to read or sew or watch TV, the warm  and aromatic food and drink, that appeals to me. I love looking out my window at our snow-covered yard, unmarred by footprints. I love the winter holidays. I find summer oppressive; all that heat and humidity, the bugs... and let's face it: being fair-skinned doesn't help my phobia of the August sun. So bring on the snow! I'm ready for some hot chocolate! 

Craft table - before

This post is to keep me accountable. See my craft table? It's a mess! 

Let's work from left to right, shall we? 

First, you can see the pile of homeschool books. Some are for this year, and some are from last year. Last year's books can be put away. I will do that this week! 

Above the book pile is the pegboard, which is just holding onto things that should go to their homes, instead of being vagabond clutter. 

Next, we have a pile of mending and quilting that should be done. A gift bag that should be put away with the other gift bags. An empty bolt core, to hold some fabric that I haven't ironed yet. A book, some fleece, and a pile of jeans. A picture that wants to go on the wall. Some beans. (Yes, beans. I made draft stoppers last winter, and never took the leftover beans back to the kitchen!) 

And, lastly, we have the walls. UGH. For a brief time, hubby & I traded rooms with the boys. Once we realized that their room couldn't fit our king-sized bed, and that the boys much preferred a room on the main floor, we switched back. That was more than a year ago. The room remains painted as it was when the boys were up here, so I am the Princess in the Castle. We have the paint to repaint the room, and we have the supplies. IT WILL GET DONE THIS WEEK!! 

So I am keeping myself accountable by posting my intentions here. I will clear my craft table this week, and I will help hubby paint the room. I'm going to make a dent in this clutter!