vestibule shoe closet

Have you always wanted a shoe closet?
We did this little project a few months ago, and I finally painted it last weekend.
I wish it was a walk-in, but it's walk-up. It is super spacious though- a whole 22 by 11 inches (technically, it is 11 inches on one side and 10 inches on the other). This made it extra fun for hubby and my brother-in-law
when they were making the shelves.

You see, the old house has a vestibule.
Sounds fancy, but it just means we have a passage between our front door and interior of the house.
I tried to make vestibule a common word in our house, but the kids just laughed at me when I said it.
"Go hang up your coat in the vestibule. Wait for me in the vestibule. Your shoes don't belong on the floor of the vestibule." So now we call it the entryway.

I would say most of the old houses I have been in here have vestibules. Most have a closet and
beautiful, period doors that close off the entryway. When we looked at the old house we saw evidence of vestibule doors, and with further investigation, we found them in the basement! They are amazing!

This is one of the reasons why I love old houses.

When houses were built in the 20's, the vestibule had a purpose. It created a layer of insulation, which helped with heating efficiency (ha!). It provided a place for coats, hats, umbrellas, wet shoes and offered privacy.
New houses do not offer these charming, functional spaces. Perhaps they have become too efficient. For us, we have enjoyed making the life of a "modern" family fit into the style and quirks of the old house.

   

The vestibule closet is the perfect space for our shoes. We love it.

* * * * *
Are you wondering if we will restore the doors? Re-tile the floor? Paint the walls? Restore the vintage, push-button switches? Yes, yes, yes and yes. We committed to the master bedroom project next,
but I think we can handle the vestibule makeover, too.

untitled

I just told my hubby I don't have a blog post in me today.

I have several posts started, but I am tired and my brain is fuzzy. It is too fuzzy to reflect and edit.

He told me not to worry about it. He told me it's okay and I can post tomorrow.

I  needed that. Thanks, hubby.

weekend usual

I thought the kids were going to lose it on Saturday morning.

We told them that after they finished their donut, we would be headed to Lowe's. We thought the donuts would help and maybe they did a little. No one cried. Ha!

There are a couple of local and rather tasty bakeries in the new city, by the way.

When we stepped inside Lowe's, coffee and shopping list in hand, it sounded like all the employees

decided to get together and practice hammering nails. Then our kids noticed other kids walking around with kid-size aprons on, just like the employees wear. We followed the clack, clack, clack sound and discovered a kids' project happening in the back of the store.

They were so excited! I shopped with Koko while Daddy helped with their project.

They got to keep the safety goggles and apron and they get an iron-on patch for every project they complete. Our kids spent the rest of the weekend playing "Lowe's." They made aisles with the dining room chairs, colored sale signs and gathered up all kinds of stuff to sell. I love it when they are inspired.

You can check out the Lowe's Build & Grow website to find out when the next project is happening in

your area.  Maybe my kids and yours won't mind trips to Lowe's as much anymore. Maybe.

Does this sound like a commercial; it's not.

I am just thankful my kids can have fun at the hardware store, too.

* * * * *

We made more headway in the boys' room this weekend.

We really just have painting left, but in that room it is a major task. The kids' energy kept us moving.
While outside with Dad, they discovered that a fellow first-grader lives down the street. I usually listen to Pandora when I paint, but it was nice to just hear them laugh and play.
It took a few hours, but I finished the corner built-in bookcase.

- remember the before? - click here -

other weekend notables:

at the preschool family fun night, we got to see and touch snakes for the first time since we left AZ

we brought home sample tiles for the kitchen backsplash

we finished the entryway shoe closet!

we made and devoured another batch of Chex mix - so delicious

and always the best part of my week - family movie/pizza/popcorn by the fire night

master bedroom: currently

Our next project is the master bedroom- our bedroom.

We take on every other room in a house and leave ours. We say we will get to it, but never do.

Our bedroom in AZ was a source of stress for me. It was a big room with tall, bare walls. We used whatever furniture we had left from other room makeovers. The room was clean and uncluttered - empty.

We have found ourselves in the same situation in the old house.

All of my clothes that were piled up on the floor, along the wall, have been put away in my new closet.
The grays and yellows I thought I wanted two years ago followed us, and we have another empty room.

I want a room that is inviting, romantic for us, but also cozy. I want a place I can snuggle up and read my book and read books with the kids. I want to want to spend time in our room.

- our bedroom, currently -

* * * * *
 Why do I hesitate to start the master bedroom project? (besides the obvious need to finish up
the boys' room renovation first, oh- and the entryway shoe closet)
With other rooms, I go for it. I paint the walls, hang and rehang pictures and accessorize with my antique fair finds (love those littles!). Everything comes together. I know my style, right?
When I scroll through all of the lovely blogs, pinterest, and my numerous catalogs,
I am drawn to rooms like this-

- pic from here -

- pic from here -

- pic from here -

- pic from here -

- pic from here -

I think I have always been drawn to rooms like this.
I call it urban chic and eclectic with, perhaps, a bit of bohemian flare. I have tried to steer myself away
from color, but I like color. I like an odd mix of furniture styles, colors and textures.
This style was not easily achieved in our stucco slab home in the dessert. Maybe that is why our bedroom remained empty and functional.
No excuses now. I have the 92-year-old house with wood floors and charm.
It's time to jump in and create a room we love.

list of things/pieces desired for our room:

area rug with a southwestern flare- Google kilim area rug and you'll get an idea

new ceiling fan (yes, ceiling fans can be cool)- there is an amazing one I have my heart set on

mirrored nightstand - perhaps this is more traditional or contemporary, but I want one

white bedding

white, built-in bookcase(s)

a space for my necklaces, earrings and lipgloss

* * * * *

blue sky and built-in beds

I woke up today to a brilliantly blue sky.

Hubby stayed home this morning, so we had coffee and I got to go for a mid-morning run.
It was a refreshing 50-degree day.
When I sat down with the laptop, I read through my last few posts. Even though I am still overwhelmingly sad living in our new city, I am trying to spend time doing what I love. Quality time with the kids and hubby, making yummy meals and treats, running, reading and working on the old house.

I spent the afternoon in the kitchen. It's therapy sometimes. I made chocolate chip cookies for the guys working upstairs. My shy four-year-old tip-toed up the steps and set the plate on the floor of his bedroom doorway.
I made my Grandma S's pork chops for dinner and lemon bars for dessert. Everything was delicious,
and my kitchen time and the blue sky was equally satisfying and delightful.

- made with my AZ lemons -

* * * * *

We took a break from house projects last week.

It was nice and needed, but I wish a couple of our projects were done already! Good news though-

today, the woodwork repair in the boys' room was completed. It looks awesome.

Originally, I had planned to keep the stained wood, which meant staining the new wood to match the old, but I think now I will paint. Seeing the unfinished pine helped me visualize how white (or maybe a lighter color) paint would look on the built-in beds, as well as brighten the room.

- before -

- after - time to paint! -

in the details:

lemon bar recipe from none other than- America's Test Kitchen

box of lemons

Our house in AZ is watched over by an old, lisbon lemon tree.
The tree is beautiful and faithfully produces. In 2011 we had several harsh, winter freezes- not something we are used to in the desert. The red, flashing winter storm warning scrolled the bottom of the tv screen.
Desert meteorologists make a big deal about WINTER STORM WARNING 2009, 2010, etc.
When you live in the desert, but grew up in the midwest, this is hilarious. We panicked though. We bundled up, affixed our headlamps and spent the next hour in the dark, rescuing lemons.
I sobbed over our dear and lovely lemon tree that March.

- march 2011 -

- april 2011 -

Less than two months later, the lemon tree had survived. He almost seemed happier and healthier
than before. I miss our tree. I miss spending a full afternoon juicing all the lemons that were left after months of using this fruit in my daily cooking. I miss making people smile when I would bring them bags of lemons.
I miss having fresh lemons in my green bowl on the kitchen table. I miss the blossoms' potent smell in the spring and the hum of bees attending to the tree.
I haven't experienced all seasons in the new city. I don't know yet what I would miss in our new surroundings.
I just know that even in winter, the lemon tree was green and vibrant.

* * * * *

On Friday, a few minutes before we left to visit my Grandpa, our mail lady, Paula, delivered a package
from AZ. I brought it in the old house and set it on the kitchen counter. I could smell what was inside.
I opened it; it was a box of lemons.

- july 2012 - the month we moved -

 

weekend trip

We left on Friday afternoon to visit my Grandpa who is almost 90 years old.

We spent time looking at pictures of the old house and talking about about our work thus far and our
renovating dreams. The old house was built only a few years before he was born.

My Grandpa lives in the cape cod house he built in 1954. This is the house my Mom grew up in.

I have not been to the house for many years, and it is mostly unchanged. I walked up the stairs holding onto the chipped, bright green railing, running my other hand along the velvet-flocked, damask wallpaper- the same as I did every time I skipped up and down those stairs as a kid.

I sat next to my Grandpa in the living room yesterday. He listened to the chatter and so did I.

When I closed my eyes, I could hear my Grandma's footsteps on the old floor. She was coming from the kitchen to sit in the chair and read her book. She always fell asleep.
My Grandma died many years ago; she was there the last time I was in the house.

Most of the time, I don't think we realize how much one person will affect our life. I don't think we

realize how much they will mold us.

- koko and bubpa -