Pantry update!

I showed you my pantry here. When I did this pantry make over I had a hard time finding shelf liner I liked  I finally settled with the red and white checks. I did like it ok but the more I lived with it the more it bothered me. It was way to busy.

I decided to paint and I love how it turned out.

I emptied the pantry and got rid of expired food and moved some things that I no longer wanted in there.

I started by painting the walls WSU Gray... yes that is the actual color. Scott has a "man cave" That is WSU Cougar colors. I used his leftover paint. I chose not to paint the top section because I was afraid it would be too dark. I may go back and do this section when I do the touch up. (I always have touch up after my paint dries!)

I painted each of the shelves white, left over paint from Maddie's room. I couldn't find the saw horses..this worked. ;) The grass is dead from a game we played in that spot.

Then I put it all back together. This seriously took me like 4 hours.
Here is the finished product...

It looks so much cleaner with out the busy red and white checks.

I moved the pasta, rice and dry foods to the top shelf.

to make room for the cereal and breakfast foods down lower

I did some rearranging and got some new jars.

The cereal basket is from Hobby Lobby,  Kuerig basket is from Fred Meyer, all other baskets are from 

Jo Anne's. The black wash tubs that hold my flours and paper plates etc are from the dollar store. Spice packet holder from Jo Anne's. All wire shelves are from Target. Jars are from Target, Goodwill, Garage sales and my garage, I love me some bottles and jars! The cute labels are from the Farm Chicks store that is no longer open. My plan is to use my chalk board vinyl on the ones that do not have labels. Wire baskets on top shelf are from a garage sale about 5 years ago... I knew they would come in handy!

 Here is the before.... cute... but too much for my taste.

and now...

 I totally didn't have time for this project but I'm glad I did it. CHECK! 

Next up is my store room... uhg... one trip to Costco and that place is a mess again... I need some organization/purging/rearranging in there! Good thing those are 3 things I LOVE! ~Shelby

Conner's room

Today is Conner's turn to show off his room. I showed you Maddie's new room here.

Conner's room is so him. That's what I love about decorating. You can mix together what ever you want to be YOU. I think too that as kids get older and are entering their teenage years it is nice to have reminders of who they were, who they are and where they come from. These years can be confusing and I think it's nice to have their refuge remind them who they are.

It is a combination outdoorsy and history, with alot of Conner thrown in.

An encouraging note from Dad, a beautiful bible verse, and quote on nothing being Impossible next to his bed. 

I'd love to find some old fishing poles to go above the windows.

We moved Conner's alarm clock over to the window sill so he would have to get out of bed to turn it off. Works like a charm! He is up on his own most days! ;)

Little reminders of the little boy he was. 

Some of his beloved books and treasures. Notice the note I told you about still on the book case... under his bed is clean so maybe it does work! 

His birth date is on the old piece of cedar. I got it from a friend whose fence blew down. The numbers are from Hobby Lobby. 

The lyrics to the song sung at both my grandparents funerals and the cross he got when baptized.

"The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why." quote by Mark Twain, surrounded by pictures of who he was and is.

Linking up with Thrifty Decor Chick again today for May Show us your House. 

Thanks for stopping by! ~Shelby

Maddie's room

The kids recently moved bed rooms so it was a great time to make them a little more grown up. Their new rooms will carry them through till they move out. I think it is harder to "decorate" kids rooms as they get older. They have their own opinions and and are in more control of their stuff.

Maddie likes her stuff and what I see as clutter sometimes she sees as treasure. She decided where things would be hung and what would be hung, more than before. Another lesson in letting go, I guess!

 When we moved in this room had no window or closet and was painted really dark. We put a window in and repainted and I love how cheerful it is! New carpet, through out the house, is on the list, the very long, $$$ list!!

Bedding from Target, Smile picture from Pier 1, night stand from Costco, teal switch plate from Hobby Lobby.

a place for treasures.

teal cube and cubbies  from Target, 

The little vanity was from my Grandma house, it is perfect since she shares a bath room with Conner. It has been this peachy color my whole life. Someday I will stop being so sentimental, paint it white, and add those cute teal glass knobs I bought. ;)

Dresser from Costco

This is her closet until we put the closet in, it will be soon. It is just a metal wardrobe. We wanted a way to "Close the door" in other words "hide the stuff" so I put a shower curtain up, I simply hooked the shower hooks to the metal frame. It works well for now.

My favorite part is her gallery wall. I did one in the stair way and both kids requested their own. These are mostly clearance and garage sale finds. It is a wonderful reminder of who she is and where she came from. 

I still plan on switching the ceiling lights to cute, little chandeliers, but I want them cheap... oil cloth to cover the vanity stool, and of course a real closet. 

The paint color is Spa from Sherwin Williams. 

I'm linking up with Thrifty Decor Chick for May Show us your House. If I could figure out how to put the cute button here I would! ;)

Thanks for stopping by! ~Shelby

Dining room in progress

Like every other room in my house the dining room is a work in progress.
Besides a few touches it is almost done..

Obviously the chandelier MUST go!! I have been looking, I just am not sure about what I want. I have contemplated spraying the existing one, but honestly the thought terrifies me. so I wait until the perfect solution comes along! ;) I plan on re covering the chairs as well . I'm thinking a black and white? Thinking I want to go bold... why not right?

(My husbands birthday is this month... so the birthday banner is hung.)

The print of Cherry blossoms on the far wall was done by my son, it still needs a black frame. I adore it.

The old violin was my Father in law's, it's in some rough shape!

Treasures and a clock that needs batteries...

Finished above the china cabinet... today, The doll is a vintage Aunt Jemima doll, I<3 her! Scott always asks me if something was passed down from my Great Aunt Jemima.... or my Uncle Ben, or my cousin Little Debbie. He makes me smile. :)

I love how this room looks at night... it glows all warm and cozy. beckons for  glass of wine or cup of coffee

 

                                     

I will be sure to update as I make my improvements!~Shelby

Laundry room tour (and some tips)

This is really the room that sold me on this house! My laundry room in our old house was in the guest bath closet. This room is huge. It has so much potential, that I have yet to tap into!! I want new rugs, new paint, (I painted it this yellow and am not in love with it) and bigger art work. Yet another work in progress!

 We did add these wonderful cubbies.

that piece of barn wood next to the door is for a super cool project, details to come!! ;)

Laundry tips:
~I hang up all of my kids clothes minus their shorts,  pj's, socks and underwear. I even hang t shirts. They can see better what they have and the drawers don't look a mess with wrinkled,  unworn clothes.  This has helped my laundry situation so much. I put them on hangers as I fold and they take them down and hang them up. Then they bring their basket up to be filled again. Yes, I remind them to do this... almost every time!

~The baskets are labeled so I know who didn't put their clothes away. OCD? Maybe,... I have one for Scott and I, one for each kid, one for towels and sheets, and one to haul all the loads from the dryer to my spot in the family room where I fold and hang.

~Scott and I have a hamper in our room, mostly to keep my dog from eating my underwear. Too much info? Sorry but true. Anyway, my kids do not have a hamper, we have tried one, didn't work like I wanted it too. They bring their clothes to the laundry room each day. Believe it or not it makes for less dirty clothes on the floor. Yes, I need to remind them but that isn't really any different for anything else. I feel like I am reminding a kid of something all the time!!! You?

~I iron with a spray bottle. Yep, I hate to iron and this totally works. I only iron if it is to sew something, maybe a table cloth and napkins now and then. Here is how it works....

That is my "iron". I take the clothes out of the basket and spray away... hems of shirts and skirts, collars to my sons school shirts and pockets to his school pants. Then I smooth and shake, and hang. No it doesn't come out perfectly starched looking but so what... it is good enough. I have even been known to "iron" my sons shirt while he is wearing it, on our way out the door!!

~I do laundry almost every day and I still never seem to be on top of it, but I do put people to work, swapping from washer to dryer and helping fold while we watch TV. I have a friend that only does laundry on Mondays, all day!!

What's your laundry schedule? What are your tips and tricks for making this never ending chore run smoothly?


So there you have it, my dirty laundry...

~Shelby

Family room tour

Ok, so I know I said I was going to do WIWW today. However with a certain boy turning 13 on Friday... (holy smokes, wait a sec while I watch my life pass me by, dab away the tear, ok. I'm good.)  And a certain girl with early release this week and getting read to make a trip to Seattle for Spring break. I never found time to figure out how in the heck I'm suppose to do it.... So maybe after spring break. Besides I am so tired of my clothes, I need Spring clothes already!! :)

In the mean time, this will have to do!

Another one of my favorite rooms in our house is our family room/TV room/multi purpose room. It is cozy. My photography skills need some work. I got a new camera for Christmas and am still learning. Practicing and trying to find some spare time to watch the DVD that came with my camera.
Also none of my rooms are perfect, they are works in progress. We have been here almost 3 years and I am still working on making it ours. It's funny we were in our old house 10 years and it was just how I wanted it when we decided to move. However, I think I would be changing everything if we had stayed there. I think we are forever making our houses our home.

We have the games out right where we are reminded to play them. We end up right there on the floor in front of my sweet Great Uncle John's old radio. He lived on a peach orchard and I loved visiting him in the summer to pick peaches and run through the orchard with my brother.
Uncle John always had circus peanuts and orange slice candy. Funny the little things you remember the most.

Doyle's favorite spot is right in front of the fireplace. Cozy dog.

My Grandfather was a farmer, wheat and peas. I always have wheat in the pitcher, it reminds me of my childhood, riding in the combine with my grandpa. The Thomas Kincaid farm print above the fireplace was from my Grandmother's house. I want to climb right in to this scene, I have always kinda wished I was a cowgirl! :)

A few little spots...

horse needle point from my Grandma's house

keys for locking up kids that don't do their homework, or sassy ones... I'm kidding.  ;)

The quote...

That Abe was a wise man. There is a new movie coming out that says he was a vampire.... no body is perfect, right?

A poem written by my Great Grandmother, the words to a song that was sung at my grandparents funerals, and a little lamp sent to Conner when he was born from my brother in Denmark.

There you have it! My family room. Thanks for stopping by! ~Shelby