Swell Home

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2011

Closet Conversions

You may have noticed a theme in my last postings.  Schedules, school, and organization have captured my thoughts.  Accordingly, I am moving my preoccupations from the cerebral to the physical world.  I am armoring up for the school year and next Kindermusik session by organizing my physical space.  

With three kids in school this year, the paper work alone is dumbfounding.  Icalander can only help me so much when I have lost a permission slip, project directions or phone directory.  This has sparked my first conversion:  Hallway built-in to family central.  I spent yesterday morning rehoming tea supplies and wine glasses.  You may wonder: "what were your children doing?".  They were helping.  I must really be loosening up if I am allowing my 3 year old to help me move stemware.  Can you believe that we made it through with only one broken teapot?  Today, I can repurpose the closet.  Here is what I need this closet to do for me:

Charge phones, ipods and small electronics 
House mail that needs attention
Hold and sort each child's school and art work for the week 
Post important memos and reminders
Post weekly meal calendar
Post a weekly family activity schedule
Save my sanity

Before I start rearranging, I need some inspiration.  One of my favorite place to turn for home ideas is Sunset.com.  No Surprise, there I found a whole gallery of "creative offices".  Many of these ideas will be filled away from my next project:  closet to office conversion.  A lot of the inspirational photos are useful even for my small space.

Here are some ideas that am filing away:

(sunset)

Here are some others from various sources:

 

(decorator on a dime)

(sf gate)

So, off to work I go.  My own pictures are coming soon.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2011

Garage Sale Day #2

Wrapping up Day #1 of the Sale

Yesterday's sale didn't prove to be the money maker that Jack had hoped for it to be.  On the bright side, he may have gotten the lesson in the value of the dollar that John had wished for.  

On Thursday night, as we finished setting up for the big sale, the kids were very excited.  We let Jack and Amelia stay up late to help out.  With the threat of bedtime in the lurking shadows, the air was filled with the rare chants of "what else can I do to help?"  And they did help.  

That night as visions of dollar signs and a new lego set danced in his head, Jack tossed, turned and woke up excitedly at 6AM.  He then, apparently, ate a few cherries in the playroom, leaving the pits to decorate the carpet.  But, back to the sale.  Helpfulness continued well into the late morning.  John and the kids posted signs, got out the last few items and they were ready for the sale.  Ready for the sale.  Ready For The Sale.  READY FOR THE SALE.  Ahem! Ready for the sale.  Apparently, they were the only one's ready.  No customers.

We did have a few visitors and whittled away at our excessive amount of children's clothing and toys.  I was surprised to find how hard it was for me to let go of Amelia's 4th Christmas dress for $1.50.  Liam learned that he could, in fact, still fit into his infant swing.  Amelia and Jack discovered that hard work does not always yield big results.  By the end of the day, we managed to make about $75.  We will but away in to our families vizsla puppy fund.  Hopefully, the fund can grow a little more today.

I will not be here to count the cash box.  I will be away with good friends at Lake Cushman in 85 degree sunny loveliness.  My question for today:

What does it feel like to swim with out a child attached to your hip?

Happy Weekend!

                                                                
                                                              

I 

                                                         Lavender Laundry


I admit it, I actually like to fold and iron laundry.  I don't like the dirty side of laundry.  I dread sorting through our perpetually overflowing communal basket. I never look forward to the acknowledgement that, I should have gotten started the day before.  I certainly hate lugging baskets up from our basement laundry room to our second floor bedrooms.  But, it isn't all bad.


My laundry room is the only place in the house where my family, for the most part, will leave me alone.  That hasn't always been the case until I started chanting robotically preprogrammed phrases like this:  "You are welcome to come in if you would like to help." and "If you are having trouble getting along (aka scrapping and screaming), you can come in and keep me company...while sorting."  


I don't just like it for the solitude,  I also like to treat myself while I'm there.  Sometimes with my own favorite music, sometimes with a little distraction from HULU, and with some home grown aromatherapy.  I have long had a love affair with lavender.  I love lavender for tea, for burns, in waffles and in my laundry. Spraying fresh lavender water on clothes in place of water or starch is simple and wonderful.  The heat from the iron creates a nice sweet cloud to stand in while you work.


Most linen spray recipes include vodka.  Since I don't usually have this on hand, I don't use it.  It would result in a more potent formula since the vodka acts as a carrier and takes on the fragrance of the herb.  I have 2 concoctions that I use, one when I have fresh lavender in my garden and one for the rest of the year.


Lavender Water:
One cup of fresh lavender buds
4 cups of water


Combine in a sauce pan and simmer until the liquid is reduced by one half.  This version has the added benefit of acting as an air freshener.  (*Wait to cool before transferring into your spray bottle.*)


Lavender Linen Spray:
One Cup of distilled water 
10 drops of lavender essential oil


Simple combine and add to your spray bottle.


Happy Laundering!