Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Tension in the Laundry Room

Moving right along in my quest to finally finish the laundry room, I put up a tension rod between the cubbies and the wall.

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Never thought I’d be so excited about a tension rod, but I am just that!  I really didn’t want to mess with screwing holes into the cubbies or the wall, so this was the perfect solution.

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I used the shower ring trick I told you about over the summer for traveling and put it into action for this space.  The hooks will be perfect for hanging delicates like bras or bathing suits.

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Didn’t really want to hang my bra for all to see, so I used the towel for an example.

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Or I can just hang things on it just like a towel bar or drying rack.  Of course you could always throw some hangers on there, but I’m guessing I’d do it once and never bring the hangers back downstairs for the next time.

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I love the flexibility the tension rod offers and the fact that it’s easily removable if I need to tweak things again.

Up next, fixing covering the holes on the wall with artwork or something.  I think I’m finally seeing the light at the end of this tunnel!

Friday, February 22, 2013

random…

It’s been a while since I’ve done a random rambling… get ready for some major randomness…

zits at 40.  it’s just wrong.

amazing how fast 7 minutes goes by after you hit snooze. dang!

I just did the dishes, so why is my counter covered in dishes?

There was a time in my life when I thought I was smart.  What happened? 

There seems to be a secret portal hole from the SPAM world that has opened up into my blog. it’s out of control! what the what?? make it stop!

that’s it. I’m done.

okay, that sounded more like random whining…let’s end this on a positive note…

…it’s FRIDAY!!

YAY!

TGIF!

and we must have a pretty picture to wrap it all up…

my favorite image of the week…

{designer Gregory Mellor}

I stumbled upon this and other beautiful designs by Gregory Mellor over at Two Ellie.

Happy Friday, Friends!!

-Kim

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Laundry Room Update–getting there…

This is the story of how 3M hooks + IKEA Expedit shelves = happiness.  Last weekend, I had the urge to purge.  I decided to jump on the laundry room that I left half done over a year ago now. 

One side of the laundry room was pretty and organized, the other side, stashed with boxes, bags, and an old light fixture…basically stuff that didn’t belong.  Not a happy place.  This was my plan of attack.

Step 1: gut and purge. Basically move the piles from one room to another. It always looks worse before it gets better.  Move what doesn’t belong in a laundry room (like bouncy balls, tennis balls, toys) to where they belong.  Trash what is trash and donate the 125 extra rags and bathroom rugs you might have accumulated.

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Step 2: reorg.  move IKEA Expedit cubbies from playroom to laundry room. (also, need to pick up a tension rod to put between the wall and cubbies for hanging clothes)

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Step 3: add functionality.  use 3M hooks to create utility closet/corner.

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Brooms, dusters and vacuums hidden nicely behind the door. Smile

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There’s a bit more tweaking to be done…like hiding the holes in the wall and doing something with those window coverings and what to do about that door?!

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But for now…

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functionality = happiness!

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Brass Roosters–more treasures from Mom

So I went shopping over at my mom’s house again and came back with a bigger treasure than I even realized! 

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To my surprise, I came across the very same roosters at One Kings Lane today with an estimated market value of $160!!  They were selling them for $99!!  I could not believe my eyes! C-RAZY!  Below are the ones from One Kings Lane.

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Check out this side by side comparison.  Crazy, right?

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Thanks, Mom!!

Smile

Friday, February 15, 2013

Just an Idea: Man Cave Art

Sometimes I get an idea that I can’t use.  But if I can’t, someone else should.

I ran across this diagram of the varieties of beer in Crate & Barrel’s catalog.  I don’t have a place for it (yet), but wouldn’t it be great artwork for a man cave or bar area?  If we had one, I would frame it up and give it a place there.

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Just an idea!

Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

- Kim

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Random Act of Kindness: A “Heart-y” Welcome

In honor of Random Acts of Kindness Week, I snuck over to my sister’s while she was at work today and gave her a “heart attack.”  Last night, my husband, the kids and I wrote love notes to tell her what we love about her.

She does so much for our parents and the people in her life, it was so fun to do something for her!  So when she gets home from work tonight, she’ll receive a “heart-y” welcome.  I’m sorry, I can’t help it with the cheesy lines.

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This was too fun!!  My wheels are spinning about my next plan of attack!

Check out these other inspirational Random Acts Of Kindness…

Stop by One Good Thing by Jillee to see what she did for one of her favorite school teachers.

And you have to stop by Lil Blue Boo to watch Ashley’s daughter spreading kindness to strangers passing by around town.  Sooooo sweet and worth the watch!

When you visit them, they also share how Michael’s craft store is doing a “craft it forward” campaign.  

And you know my girl Ellen is jumping on Kindness Week.  Today she shared an inspiring quote on her website.  While you’re there, you can check out all the kindness she’s spreading.  Love her!

Tag – you’re it!  Share some kindness and pass it on…

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Hey Girl…

Guys, I love me a good laugh and I can’t help but giggle every time I see those Ryan Gosling “hey girl” photos.  Have you seen them?  Here’s a couple to give you a taste.

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So there’s actually a “Hey Girl” link party at a View Along the Way, Domestic Imperfection, Bliss Ranch, Two Twenty One, and Decor and the Dog replacing photos of Ryan Gosling with husbands, pets, babies, or other celebrities.  I couldn’t resist joining the fun.  I’m sure there are some great ones out there.  Make sure to stop by and check out some other “Hey Girl” goodness.  Too funny. 

Here’s mine…

hey girl

My guy had no idea I was doing this, so SURPRISE!

You’ve just been “hey-girl-ified!”

Hope it gave you a giggle in your crazy, chaotic day.

Winking smile

Monday, February 11, 2013

Grilled Cheese Bar and Root Beer Float Party

Besides the token veggie and fruit tray, this party was not about healthy food choices.  It was all about comfort food and going back in time.  Like when a song or smell launches you into a time warp, giving you that inexplicable feeling of warmth and joy.  That’s what this party was about.  My dad’s 80th.  Old pictures, memories and the comfort of family and good, old comfort foods.  Grilled cheese, soup, chips, cookies, old time soda pop like rock-n-rye, creme soda and root beer, strawberry shortcake and root beer floats.

Last week, I mentioned I was going for an old diner feeling, so when everyone arrived, they were greeted by this sign I picked up from the hardware store.  Just goes to show you can find party decorations anywhere.

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My daughter made the Poppy’s Diner sign and had the clever idea of taking a checkered flag off the stick to add behind the sign.  She might just have my sickness genes.

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Loved using glass soda pop bottles as a part of the shin dig.  Not only cute, but have you had a creme soda lately?  Oh.my.word.  It was delicious!  Although, Rock & Rye was the favorite with this group.

I was excited to embrace some Michigan made products too – Faygo, Better Made chips and pretzel rods, Ray’s Ice Cream and Sander’s Hot Fudge.  Even the bread happened to be made in local bakeries.

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The grilled cheese bar included butter crust white bread, wheat and sourdough, a variety of cheese, deli meat, bacon, onions and tomatoes.  We even added raspberry jam into the mix last minute.  Everyone came up with something different.  The Foreman Grill was at the end of the line to grill up the sandwich creations.

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Let’s pretend the next picture received an old time instagram treatment.  Truth is, it’s my stellar photography skills and lack of under counter lighting that gave this old effect.  Ha.

Anyhow, I labeled the cheeses with toothpicks and washi tape.  Oh, washi tape, how I love you.  We had cheddar, muenster, smoked gouda, Swiss and Colby.

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I took my sister’s advice and made a smoked gouda, turkey and raspberry jam grilled cheese.  Can I just say heaven?  Seriously, SO GOOD!  I highly recommend it!

We had tomato roasted pepper soup, loaded baked potato soup and cream of broccoli out of little paper cups.  You could drink it or use a spoon.  Dad drank his tomato soup straight from the cup!

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The original plan was to pre-scoop the ice cream into the mason jars, store them in the freezer, then take them out ready to go. The reality of last minute cleaning took over and we scooped as went, but I wanted to pass along that tip anyway.

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We chose a Pepperidge Farms cookie variety pack because that was the kind my Dad would bring to friends and sometimes people he barely knew in the hospital.  It was definitely one of his trademarks.  I can’t tell you how many times people would tell me that my dad visited them in the hospital and brought them cookies.  It was comical, yet made me beam at the same time.  We also had what we call “Poppy crackers” and now some of my friends call “Poppy crackers” too, aka Keebler Town Club crackers (one of Dad’s favorites).

pepperidge farm cookiesred vines and candy sticks

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My daughter had a blast acting as our waitress with a diner hat that we doctored up from Steak-n-Shake.  Everyone chose their own pair of cat-eyed glasses or sunglasses.  Definitely a good time had by all.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY-O!!

{I feel like I can’t write a post about my Dad without sharing some fun tid-bits about him and info about Alzheimer’s.}

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