A New Mudroom

You may remember that one of the things our house never had was a true mudroom. There are several spaces that sort of act like a mudroom, but none of them were really achieving what we needed with two kids in school and multiple sports each. The lacrosse gear alone may kill me.

This space was the closest we had to a mudroom. Our side entry is directly off our driveway and our main family/friends entrance and exit. If you know us, you use the side door. Generally you walk in without knocking or a quick knock and a "HELLO?!". That's the way we are. This area was an obvious spot for a row of hook and a boot tray.

Thanks to my blog I know that this has been working for us for nearly 6 years. But the backpacks, shoes and coats are bigger and more plentiful so now we had to make a new choice.

We decided that our basement was the best choice. The stairs you see on the left in the picture above lead to our basement. It's only a half-flight down (about 8 stairs) so it's not a long trek, but it was enough that gave me pause to think about it. I also wasn't sure I wanted the mess in my basement especially since it's mostly carpeted (there's a small tire area at the bottom of the stairs). So, we went with this space which previously held a rarely used desk.

I started pinning ideas I liked and it was pretty clear that I liked white divided built-ins with a wood seat. I thought about doing a column of bins on the side for easy access but ultimately decided that wider cubbies would be a better option. I'm so glad we did that - swim backpacks are huge!

We went with a bead board back to match the built-ins across the room (only about 8' feet away!).

As you can see we pulled the carpet back so the built-ins would sit on the floor. We know that we will someday rip this carpet out so we are preparing for that day. I'm in love with the new wood-look linoleum! If you are worried about reattaching the carpet, it's not hard. You have to rent a "kicker" at a tool rental shop and knee it back in place. It took Jim about an hour to finish that up including the 2 minute drive to and from the rental place! 

We called in the painter to paint everything out. Jim stained the bench top before installing the top but the painter did a couple of coats of polyurethane for us. 

One hurdle was the intake vent on the lower left hand side. We solved that by removing the cover and cutting out the grooves of the wood. We have several intakes for the HVAC so it's not an issue if this one is getting slightly less air than previously. 

And here's the final! 

It took a little while but I found baskets that fit the upper space perfectly. The plastic bins at the tippy top hold extra hats, scarves and gloves that we don't use often or are for a special purpose like skiing! 

The area on the left has tile so we added a few hooks for especially wet things like snow pants and rain coats. Wet boots can stay in this area. We also added a not-so-beautiful plastic runner. It serves the purpose of keeping the carpet dry and relatively clean. We can pull it up and hose it off if we need to but it has nubs on the back that keep it from moving. More functional than pretty but it's working! 

And here's the distance from the old "mudroom" to the new one in case you were curious. Oh, and we finally painted the basement the same gray (Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter) as the rest of the house. Although I love yellow in basements, the cohesiveness is so much better. 

Overall, this was a great project and worthwhile investment in our house. I think we're ready for winter! (not really)

Summer: What I read

First day of school!  Check out my Facebook page for pics of my kiddos today... Where did summer go?  I'll update you on our bucket list soon.

One of the items on our list was to read a bunch of books.  This item was aimed at my daughter but I took it on myself as well!  I don't think I have ever done a book post on this blog.  I have written a lot about our built-in bookshelves but not much about the fact that both Handy Hubby and I are avid readers.  Sure, we didn't read much when our kids were babies, but we both generally have a book going.  Some books just take longer than others...  And when we go on a vacation where my parents are with us, we pretty much bury ourselves in books every chance we get.  I'm totally hooked on GoodReads (friend me!).

Here's what I read this summer and my super brief reviews...

1. Inferno (Dan Brown).  This was my Memorial Day weekend.  DaVinci Code is one of my favorite books of all time, and Angels and Demons is also pretty high on the list. The Lost Symbol was one of the most disappointing (and at times BAD) books I have ever read.  This tome falls somewhere between.  It wasn't disappointing and I liked the ending.  It certainly kept me interested and I googled "overpopulation theory" pretty much immediately after finishing.  Rating B

2. Tell the Wolves I'm Home (Carol Rifka Brunt). Although technically a young adult novel, I really enjoyed the story.  It was outside my usual picks in the historical fiction genre, but I liked the writing a lot.  A fun, well-written quick read even for teens and adults.  A-

3. Only Time Will Tell (Jeffrey Archer).  Technically, I listened to this during a long road trip to our college reunion but I'll include it in my summer reads.  It's a long listen but great if you have a long car trip in your future. I'm a huge fan of Jeffrey Archer - As the Crow Flies is an all-time favorite.  None of his books have ever disappointed me and this was no exception, but not one of his absolute best.  Lots of twists and turns in an epic story of one man (like most of his books).  It's the first in a trilogy and I think I'll read the next volume soon.  B+

4. Mariana (Susanna Kearsley). Historical fiction set in the English countryside with some mystery mixed in.  Can't go wrong in my opinion.  Susanna Kearsley is a great writer and her characters suck you in within the first few pages.  This book follows her usually format of seamlessly switching between modern day and historic times in the same location.  Lots of fun and suspenseful - kept me guessing.  A-

5. Secret River (Kate Grenville). Although I learned a lot about Australian history, this was my least favorite book of the summer.  The book went off on several tangents regarding aboriginal relations that seemed unnecessarily drawn out.  I finished it but I definitely did some skimming in the middle.  Fortunately it was a free Amazon Prime choice.  C-

6.  Waverly Bryson Series (Perfect on Paper, etc.) (Maria Murname). If you are looking for fun, lightweight chick lit, look no further. Waverly is not quite Bridget Jones or Carrie Bradshaw but she's a close second or third.  I read all 3 of these books within a few days and really enjoyed them all.  They were predictable at times but I didn't care. Sometimes you just need fun.  B

7. War Brides (Helen Bryan).  This is a great story about several women living in WWII London and the countryside.  The ending really irked me and almost ruined the whole book but it's a good read and I would still recommend it, particularly if you like WWII historical fiction but The Secret Keeper (see below) is better if you are only going to read one.   B

8. The Secret Keeper (Kate Morton).  I really like Kate Morton and I plan to read her other books this fall and winter.  Her books are clearly well-researched and always keep me guessing.  This book is really well-written and had several totally unexpected twists.  I never guessed the ending!  Highly recommend!  A-

9. The Snow Child (Eowyn Ivey). This is one of the  most beautifully written books I have ever read - haunting and creepy at times.  I felt like I was in Alaska in the 1920s - a truly unforgiving place.  The couple at the heart of the story are a truly sympathetic pair - I really was routing for them throughout. I didn't absolutely love the story because it was really bizarre at times, but the writing alone makes this book worth reading. B+

10. Language of Flowers (Vanessa Diffenbaugh). I can see why this is a bestseller and has generally great reviews.  It's the story of an orphan emancipated at 18 and her life in foster care (through her looking back) and her life after her emancipation arranging flowers based on their Victorian meanings.  I definitely enjoyed the book although it was implausible at times and I found it hard to identify with the main character - perhaps she needed more character development.  Still worth reading. B+

11.  The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett). The longest book I read this summer (over 700 pages) but also the best book I read this summer, and probably all year. Maybe last year too.  An oldie but goodie epic story of a family and other supporting characters and a cathedral built during the middle ages of England.  I knew very little about the evolution of cathedral architecture and the influence from continental Europe.  Has everything that makes books great - great story, well-developed characters, and hateful villains. If you haven't read this, you need to.

So that was my summer reading list.  I'm currently reading A Thousand Splendid Suns and I LOVE it.  Somehow this book slipped through my bookshelf when it came out (I loved the Kite Runner).

Despite a houseful of books, here's how I read all of those books...

Yup, e-books.  I bought Handy Hubby a Kindle for his birthday about 2 years ago.  He loved it.  He still reads "real books" but he loves his Kindle. Then I bought myself a Kindle at the end of last summer.  I haven't read a piece of paper since.  I'm obsessed. I borrow a lot of e-books from our local library - it could not be easier and you are really missing out if you are not borrowing e-books.  I also use the free Amazon lending library for Prime members.  I seriously love Amazon Prime and think it's worth every penny for us.  I also buy some books - particularly newer books or books not available from the library which is still quite a lot unfortunately.  If you are interested in the Kindle, we went with the cheapest model knowing that we travel, have kids, and are just generally tough on electronics.  If we lose it or break it, we'll be sad but we won't be out $200.  And here is my no-frills cover (pictured above) in case you are in the market for one.  Note: This not a sponsored post - we just love our Kindles!

Now spill... I need some more good reads!  Comment with your favorite reads from this summer or any time really!!

Styling Bookshelves {Before & After}

I helped a client style her bedroom bookshelves a few weeks ago. The bookshelves are the focal point of the room, along with the beautiful window between them.  It took me about an hour to style the shelves but that also included clean-up and running up and down the stairs about 15 times to retrieve more things for the shelves.  

Here's how it looked when I arrived...

And when I left...

My clients had all of these items in their house already so we did not purchase anything.  Several of the accessories are items handed down to my clients from their families including the white milk glass vase from my client's grandmother and the sculpture from her aunt.  

I also included a nice mix of family photos, mostly in silver or black frames with white mats which really pop out of the dark back of the shelves. 

The finished bookshelves really help the room feel a bit more finished and organized.

                  

What do you think?  Any bookshelf styling tips?  Let me know if you have some bookshelves in need of some love!

Master Bedroom: Built-in Reveal

It's finally done. Although I have already declared this the worst documented project in the 3 year history of my blog, it was all worth it.  In the end, these projects are not for the blog, but for own enjoyment and use (although Handy Hubby may think differently).

So, without further ado, here it is...

And here's where we started as a reminder.

The styling was not very thoughtful but I grabbed something that I had nearby and that worked with the colors in our master - cream, blue, gray-green.  I'm not going to lie - I did carefully choose which books to put in here based on their color - not their content!

The hardware is from the Martha Stewart line available at Home Depot.

Once again Handy Hubby out did himself. I love the Shaker-style doors that he made.  Also the crisp white paint which matches our trim, makes me less itchy to paint another large piece of furniture in there. Handy Hubby will flip out if I even mention painting more wood so I have to keep those dreams under wraps!!

Hope you had a great 4th of July. I loved having the 4th in the middle of the week - most people were on vacation but we were here.  We were also fortunate to have power when a lot of people in Northern Virginia did not. Thank goodness for small miracles!!

What fun projects are you working on?  Are you taking a break for summer?  I think this is our last large project for a little while but you never know!

Linking to: A Bowl Full of Lemons, Primitive and Proper, Miss Mustard Seed, Savvy Southern Style

Master Bedroom: Built-in Television Cabinet

This may officially be the worst documented semi-major project we've done in the house.  Not sure what happened but I think it was partly because Handy Hubby worked on it at random times or when I was away for work so I didn't get to take too many in progress shots.

So, we left off here last time. I think.

So fast forward 2.5 months and we're here.

Handy Hubby added the crown molding to dress it up a little bit.  He also wrapped the baseboard around the base so it's a true built-in.  

 Handy Hubby made the Shaker-style doors using a Kreg jig with a panel inset.

Next up I need to get some hardware.  I think I am going to get something dark to match the curtain rods and dresser hardware.

I first mentioned this project to Handy Hubby over a year ago and it feels good to be almost at the finish line!

Rec Room Progress

I have finally made some progress getting our basement rec room together. Slow progress, but some progress.  It still needs some more toys purged from it but generally it's getting much closer to what I want it to be.  Of course, I should be spending more time on the treadmill and probably a little less time thinking about the decor!

So, here's where I started back in December.  Actually, this picture was from July but it looked the same even in December.

This was way too much furniture for this space.  The red leather chair on the left found a new home in Alex's big boy room.  The chair and sofa were sold via Craigslist.  (Hello $450!)

Next we moved the family room sofa down to the rec room.  Our sofa looked like this...

 Until I got a slipcover for it and then it looked like this...

Next I brought in one of a pair of chairs previously in the family room (the other is still in the family room), moved in some end tables (one was already here and the other was in the attic), and hung a great new canvas-mounted picture of my kids.  Finally my lamps came back fitted out with their $15 Target shades which happened to fit perfectly without a harp.  Hooray for happy accidents!

After a little bit of tweaking, the room now looks like this.  

More accurately maybe like this...

The sofa works so much better here than it ever did in our family room.  Maybe this was all part of my original subconscious plan! 

Those end tables work well here as well.  They were a hand-me-down from my parents and they have lived in my attic for a few years.  They are perfect down here because they have drawers and storage. Need to brain storm the options...

Also, think I need a couple more canvas prints of my kids.  Looks like I'll be back on the Groupon hunt!  This all leads me to my new color scheme which was previously (in my head only) beachy cream, yellow, blue, and green. Now though I think I am heading in a more colorful playroom direction.  I'm not saying wild color everywhere but a few fun pops of color might be in order.  It's time to stop fighting the toys which dominate this space but embrace them and their wonderful color!

Doing any furniture swapping in your house?  Amazing how different and perfect a piece can feel in a different space.