Fixer Upper - Removing A Wall

The very first thing Caleb wanted to do in the house we just purchased was remove a wall:

The main living/dining area of the house is one of the big things that attracted us to this model. Our previous house had the kitchen between the breakfast nook and family room. This house has the breakfast area in between the kitchen and family room—the layout we preferred. It makes everyday living better, in our opinion, and also provides a nicer flow when we have guests over.

The only issue with this model is that it had a wall with a window in between the eating area and the family room. That may be a preference for some, but we like a more open concept. So we agreed to have the window wall removed. What we didn’t agree on was how to have it removed. I wanted to first hire an architectural engineer to determine if the wall was load-bearing. Caleb just wanted to ask our inspector and a few other folks walking through our house what their “opinion” was. If you couldn’t tell, I am the more risk-adverse one in the relationship, and my 8 year old son Eli is a lot like me:

Eli: "Dad, are we speeding?"

Caleb: "Not a lot."

Eli: "Wait, so we're speeding?"

Jude: "Awesome."

Eli: "That is NOT awesome."

Caleb is also the more frugal one, so that may have contributed to his decision not to hire an architectural engineer. In any case, this is what he used to make the decision that it was okay to have the wall torn down:

Yeah, you see that tiny little hole cut out? That is what Caleb and a few random people he asked used to make this huge decision. Meanwhile, I was certain that the largest purchase we had ever made was about to come crashing down all because my husband didn’t want to spend $200 on a professional opinion.

Turns out, his gamble turned out to be a good one. The wall was not load-bearing. Best of all, the opening up of the two spaces was just what we hoped for:

Here is it now, after having done a few more renovations on our list:

I’ve always thought that painting a room makes the biggest impact for the least amount of money. I now think opening up a wall is #2 on the list! I will have to keep this in mind when Eli someday marries someone who wants to go tearing walls down without hiring an architectural engineer.

My DIY "Brass" Figurine

This past Friday, I had my four wisdom teeth pulled. This is not a flattering photo to begin with, but as I was washing up for bed that night I was impressed I didn't look too much like a chipmunk storing nuts in my cheeks. :)

So while I am recovering (being lazy) from having my teeth pulled, I thought I'd share a tiny DIY project I had fun doing a while ago. If you go to Target, you've probably noticed that brass and gold are all the rage these days, very Jonathan Adler. While there are people out there willing to pay $400 for a peacock ("Only 1 left in stock!"), I am not one of those people. I am not even willing to pay Target's attractive $14.99 for a decorative turtle:

       

BUT I am willing to stop by the Target Dollar Spot and pick up a $1 toy animal:

The giraffe was the most attractive one I could find. I then took some spray paint I had on hand from a previous project and tried to create my very own brass figurine.

It turned out even better than I thought it would and for only $1!

Mudroom

One of the items at the top of my Wishlist for our home was a mudroom with cubbies. The house we were looking at had a decent-sized laundry room, but with the kitchen, master bath, and entire first-level flooring renovations at the top of our To Do list, mine was more of a Wishful Thinking list. 

It definitely isn't a must-have, but when you have three young kids in school it seems to me a very efficient use of space. Here is a shot of the laundry room while the previous owners were still in the house:

Fortunately, since we were having so much demolition and renovation being done before moving in, our contractor made it attractive enough for us to have a few more cabinets removed, specifically, the eight by the garage door:

We spoke with the gentleman who was installing our baseboards to see how feasible it would be to have cubbies installed. He, too, made it very attractive for us to do cost-wise. Even if it cost twice as much to do, I knew it would be one of the best used spaces in our house. Here are a few examples that helped narrow down what was feasible for our small space as well as our preferences:

Top Left: A flat wall of hooks would make our small area more spacious, but I wasn't crazy about the look.

Top Right: Love the idea of locker doors for a clean look while hiding everyone's stuff, but with as much use as my kids would get out of this space they would be sure to wear the hinges out in no time.

Bottom Left: Love open cubbies. Much like open shelving, I think they have such a nice look to them. With attractive hooks, the accessibility and ease of use for my kids is a bonus. Would want to use the bottom area below the bench for shoes, though, so while drawers give a nice, clean look, I don't like them enough to go through the trouble of cleaning them. 

Bottom Right: I like how the cubbies go straight to the floor. They make the area for shoes easy to clean as well as easy for my kids to slide their shoes into. 

After having them built, I primed and painted the cubbies the same color as the rest of the laundry room cabinets (more work than I thought!). I decided to use oil-rubbed bronze fixtures for a change from the kitchen where I used chrome. It has easily become one of the most used and most loved spaces for the family:

The bins are used by the kids for miscellaneous things (i.e. their Bible for church). Since the cabinetry is white, I thought I'd add some color by painting the door to the garage. 

Before:

And now:

It brings such a freshness and brightness to the room whenever we go in and out of the garage. As soon as the kids come in through the blue door, their jackets and backpacks go straight to the cubbies so I don't have to see them all over the house. Win win! :)

Audrey's 7th (Target saves this mommy yet again)

My baby turned 7 years old almost a month ago. Sadly, between her dad and her brothers, her world is very much a boy's world. 

   Audrey: "Mommy, is it Fall today?"
   Me: "No, not officially but it's beginning to feel like it!"
   Audrey: "But yesterday Daddy said season starts tomorrow."
   Me: "Ah… I think he meant football season."
   Audrey: "Oh…"

Despite spending too much of her free time at her brothers' basketball games and practices, she is very much a girly girl. Her dad wouldn't want it any other way. Watching her grow is bittersweet for him. One evening after tucking her in bed, he came down and said very seriously, 

   "Man, the day she moves out will be a tragedy. 
   What do we do?
   How do we stop this?
   How do parents deal with it?"

You know those mothers who hold birthday parties decked out in the theme of their child's favorite character and with a menu of yummy homemade food and treats? I really stink at being that mommy. I love celebrating my children but in very small doses. Fortunately, Audrey was thrilled to invite just a few good friends over for an afternoon of hanging out. A few days before her party, I stopped by Target and found adorable matching place settings and decor. They have all different colors and patterns! I especially liked the polka-dotted paper straws. 

The centerpieces are old jars filled with lemon slices and baby's breath - so simple and nice, costing about $3 total. 

The party was perfect for both Audrey and mommy!