Cool Finds!

 I love to bargain shop.

Here are pictures of some of the cool items I've purchased from places like the Habitat Store, consignment and antique shops. Then of course is the leftover materials from this project.

So many possibilities for this! Stuffed animals, socks or books.
I have to decide whether this will go in the playroom or the boys' bedroom. It was only 50 cents.

$5.00, sturdy and perfect for blocks. 

Don't you love this! I was going to use it in the kids' bathroom for towels, but
now that the bathroom is almost finished, I see that it won't fit well.
So my oldest daughter (23) is buying it from me (an $8 find!) to use in her room for her throws.

My $2.00 SPCA Store find. I will have a hot drink corner of the kitchen.

Normally, these screens go for at least $99, but I found this at the Habitat Store for $60
and it matches the World Market bench that I purchased years ago. This divider will create
 a foyer and a play area for the little boys in our 13x17 front room.
Once upon a time, this room was the living room in this 1976 ranch.

I also bought a Pottery Barn rug at a bi-annual consignment sale for only $15. It'll be great for the boys room. More pics to come!

Mission Organization: Toys

Toys, beloved toys.

You may think I'm loony for attempting to organize toys for two five and three year old boys, but oh well.

Our front room will be divided by a wonderful Habitat Store find I bought yesterday. One area will be a "proper" foyer and the other area which is roughly 13 x 12 will be a play area, future school room, future office space.

I'm keeping the colors neutrals because toys will bring enough color to the space! I want the toys organize in containers and bins that can be stored in the bookshelves that will be in there.

Some of the toys will go in the large storage box that I bought. I like to rotate toys every four to six months to keep the boys from getting bored.

Right now, it's time to sort, in order to store

legos

cars

soldiers

marbles
playdoh tools
etc etc etc.

I purchased some bins from Ikea, Walmart, and an antiques store. Even plastic sugar containers are great to recycle for small pieces.

Snow Delays and Hopeful Days

Despite the fact February and now March have produced cabin fever due to an irrational amount of snow and cold weather, I remain hopeful that by the end of this month, each member of my family will be able to stretch out into our remodeled home.

Currently, two bathrooms have been gutted and the eight of us are sharing one bathroom. Due to the fact that part of the house is still blocked by the new addition and the only way to the kitchen is down the bedroom hallway, we spend our daytime hours downstairs in our great room, music room and sports room. Sounds like a lot of space but when you've had to move food and towels and everyone's bathroom needs to this area....it gets kinda cramped.

Each of us has a basket with our bathroom needs inside
 to avoid 6 different shampoos, brushes, etc etc

I purchased a microwave (we had the refrigerator) and put up shelves
in the wide hallway outside of the music and sports rooms
so that we can survive the day without our kitchen.

 But I can say that some work is getting done! The crew has started renovating two bathrooms. If you look at the plans, you'll see that what was a large hall bathroom will become two bathrooms. We really wanted a powder room off of the main spaces that guests congregate. We did find out that there was a leak under this old bathroom that resulting in rotted wood all the way to the crawl space. I've seen too many home renovation shows on the DIY and HGTV networks to not expect something like this may be found. IF you ever launch a home renovation, expect any delay and also....bad smells that come from bathroom pipes that need to be cut and rerouted. Yuck! The new addition only needs paint, flooring, a bit more trim work and the lighting installed. The built in is almost finished as well.

Master bath is now framed with a toilet closet and shower.
Once the plumber comes
the new bathtub can be put into place.

                                                 

My next post will include pictures of some really great finds from the Habitat Store. I love this place. I found a great 7 ft ladder for $8 that I'm gonna use for towels in the kids bathroom. I found a pegboard for $1 that I'll use for a tools idea for the storage room. Check back soon to see my other finds!