Laundry Room Part 1

 

 

When we moved to Kenilworth, the washer and dryer came with the house.  They were practically brand new, but there was one problem with them.  The color.  You know I would never have chosen that dark red, instead I would have chosen……..  yes, white.

Gradually I have become more resigned to the color of them, partly due to the fact that I keep a large white blanket folded over them; to decrease some of the red glare.

What I really want to put over them is glass front upper cabinets! I know that may sound weird for a laundry room, but I think it would look so pretty.  The width is just a little too big to buy stock uppers and hang them – it would cause 6 inches to be leftover on the end, an amount that’s not easy to conceal cleverly.  Glenn can make them, which he plans to do, but not any time soon, due to the many big-ticket items which take priority over glass front cabinets in the laundry room.

Since I also envisioned a counter over the washer and dryer, for extra folding space, Glenn and I decided we could at least accomplish that much now.  Plus an extra shelf above the counter for the detergent and rags, and other stuff that I store in the laundry room.  We can easily remove the upper shelf later, when we do the cabinets, but for now it would be a real asset.

Here’s a look at the counter in place – obviously we didn’t wait to start folding clothes on it until after painting.

 

(and just for the record… I wasn’t the one who *folded* those clothes!)

 

Glenn screwed in shelf brackets along all 3 sides of the wall underneath the counter, and he added a front lip to the counter for extra support.

 

Next we used cereal boxes to determine how high the shelf should be from the counter.

 

 

And now it was time to paint!

 

I’ll be back soon with the finished look!

 

Hope you all are having a great day!

Fun!

 

Imagine my surprise to receive an email from one of my nieces telling me she nominated our blog to receive a blogger award!

 

 

The award is a way to offer encouragement to fellow bloggers, and to acknowledge that the words they speak on their blogs are being heard.  It is a kind and thoughtful way to say, “Good Job!”  There aren’t any strings attached, but if you are nominated, it’s nice to share the wealth with others.  Here’s how you can.

After being selected, you thank the person nominating you, 

Thank you, Aquila! ( http://www.hauteintexas.com/liebster-award-nomination/ )

 

Then answer 11 questions they give to you.

Nominate 11 other bloggers whose following is less than 500.

Post 11 questions for them to answer!

Finally, tag your nominees and post a comment on their blog to let them know you have nominated them.

 

That’s it!

 

Here are the questions Aquila gave to me:

1.  What’s your favorite post and why?

The one I wrote about my grandma, who died just a couple of weeks ago.  I loved her so much, and it was a blessing to write down my thoughts about her – for her, and for our family.   http://ourkenilworthhome.blogspot.com/2014/03/grandma.html

 

2.  Who inspires you to write?

God.  Through the blessings of the people He has put in my life, the gifts He has given to them and to me, to share with others.

 

3.  What’s your favorite board game?

Ha!  Trivial Pursuit – of course.  Science is my best subject! 

 

4.  What’s your favorite book?

That’s a little harder to choose – I love to read so many things– but I have 3 copies of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and I have read it untold numbers of times since I was a girl.  Seems like that’s the one!

 

5.  If you could choose one person to have dinner with, living or not, who would it be?

Always my husband.

 

6.  Is there anything you would NEVER blog about?

Private sin – either of myself or of those I love.

 

7.  How do you find the time to write?

I have to squeeze it in at odd times – and usually I am interrupted frequently to answer questions. 

 

8.  What’s your biggest tip for a new blogger?

Write when you feel like writing, instead of feeling pressured to do so because of how long it’s been since your last post.

 

9.  If you could work with any brand, business, etc., who would you pick?

Lowes – so I could get as much white paint and trim as my heart desired!  Would they let me, do you think?

 

10.  Do you think you’ll still be blogging at 90 years old?

I hope I live to be 90!  If I do, then to be able to blog would be amazing.

 

11.  Finally, a Haute in Texas tradition, do you prefer pancakes or waffles?

Waffles! 

 

I nominate these creative bloggers:

http://leahcolleen.blogspot.com/

http://oneacrefollies.blogspot.com/

http://www.prodigalpieces.com/

http://aleciawall.blogspot.com/

http://thecomfydollhouse.blogspot.com/

http://thevalleyofblessings.blogspot.com/

http://orasramblings.blogspot.com/

 

I don’t follow a large number of blogs, so these 7 are my nominees.  Aquila reassured me I wouldn’t be cursed if I didn’t do anything else after she nominated me.  Hopefully, that means I won’t be cursed for choosing only 7 instead of 11 blogs! 

 

Here are my questions for my nominees:

1.  What made you want to start a blog?

2. What sources provide inspiration for your posts?

3. What event in history do you wish you could see in person?  (past, present, or future)

4. What is your favorite meal?

5. What makes you laugh?

6. What makes you want to continue blogging?

7. What do you enjoy doing most in your free time?

8. Which is your favorite post?

9. What do you hope is the end result of having a blog?

10. What is your favorite movie?

 

So there you go!  How you proceed with the thread is completely up to you!  I won’t hold it against you if decide you’re thankful for the nomination, but don’t want to continue it. 

Have a great day, Friends!

Finishing Some of the Trim

 

 

Birthdays are special around here.  We decorate with bunting and balloons and the Birthday Chair, and other fun things.

And of course for the kids, presents are probably the highlight.  Toys still reign as the number one requested gift, along with books, movies, and occasionally now, clothes.

 

Glenn and Alix picked out a beautiful red Transferware plate for me this year – I love it!  And a really lovely silver serving stand – the kind you can set a 9x13 size dish into. 

He is such a thoughtful husband.   

I received many beautiful handmade cards from the kids, drawings and poems, chocolate covered almonds from a friend, 4lbs of Jelly Bellys, and a lovely set of handpainted floral notecards from another sweet friend.  Alix and Kate even made me a beautiful and delicious chocolate birthday cake!

One flowered napkin ring at my plate simply wasn’t enough – the kids gave me a bouquet!

 

 

There was the blessing of time which Glenn and I spent together –  running errands and having lunch out and just being Two, instead of nine, for an afternoon.

 

But I have to admit that the icing on the cake for me was…… trim in the hallway. 

Yes. 

I think I am officially a DIY- mom because getting the trim practically made me giddy. I sighed and squealed over it.  And I have spent a strange amount of time just staring at it.  Admiring it.

Glenn knew I was excited – so he wasted no time getting it cut and nailed into place as soon as we finished the birthday dinner.

Here we are – Glenn showing me how to caulk the seams, and both of us feeling very pleased about it.

Although we still plan to board and batten this hallway, like the main hallway, for now we are content to have it trimmed and finally looking more finished.

Would you like to see?

Ta-da!

 

Even though we only needed to add the trim at this point, I thought it would be fun to show the progression of this little hallway, formerly part of the garage and part of the backyard. 

 

     

 

You can see by the flooring in the doorway, the place where we joined the former wall of the garage with the new mud room addition we built.

 

 

And looking the other way.

       

 

Happy Birthday to me. 

 

                                             

How to Attach a Lamp Harp

 

A few weeks ago I found a sweet little white lamp at Goodwill.  For just 2.99, I had to get it.  Kate needed a new lamp on her desk and I knew she would love this one.

The only thing it lacked was a cute lamp shade. But I am a hoarder of such things, and I knew there were a few in my closet to choose from.

The one I found which looked best required a lamp harp.  But my little lamp didn’t have a harp.  Up until just recently, this meant I would need to add something to Glenn’s “to – do” list.  But, not now! 

Last summer I asked Glenn to show me how to rewire a lamp and affix a lamp harp.  It was a lot easier than I thought it would be and I admit I felt a lot of satisfaction when I plugged it in afterwards, and the lamp worked!

Many times, the perfect shade can be found without having to attach a lamp harp.  But just in case you ever pick one up, take it home and realize you need one, I thought you might find the following pictures helpful.

I’ll do my best to let the pictures speak for themselves, with just a little bit of explanation.

 

Here we look down at the socket and see the shade slips over it with a ring and 3 wire prongs which are attached to the old shade.

After sliding the old shade up and over the socket, grasp the socket and gently pull on it.

Carefully separate the top and bottom pieces of the socket, to expose the wires inside.

Pull away the top half and set it aside.  Then pull the inner parts up and away from the bottom half of the socket.

Unscrew the two little screws on either side just enough to loosen the wires and detach them. 

Close up of how they are attached.

The two wires will be tied into a loose knot.  Untie them.

Slip off the bottom half of the socket.

From the bottom of the lamp, push the cord up toward the top of the lamp.  This will make it easier to work with the wires.

Here is a medium size lamp harp, which should fit this lamp just right.

Slip the two wires through the hole in the base of the harp.

 

Replace the bottom half of the socket and then tie the two wires into a loose knot.

Like so!

At this point, you can pull the wires back down a little from the base of the lamp.

Next twist the exposed copper wiring strands back together so they will fit behind the screws easier.

 

Now gently tighten the screws to keep the wires in place.

You will probably still have an extra amount of the wiring underneath so just pull it down from the base of the lamp.  Otherwise the bulging wires will keep the socket halves from fitting back together.

I’m holding it with my left hand, and pulling down the cord from underneath the lamp with my right hand. 

Flatten out the remaining wires as best you can into the bottom half of the socket.

Replace the top half of the socket, making sure to line up the narrow grooves so they fit over the switch.

And that’s it! 

The lamp fits perfectly on Kate’s desk – and she loves it!

 

And that’s it! 

I think it took me less than 30 minutes to complete, and I’m far from proficient.  I’m sure you could do it.  And see how much cuter the lamp is with the right shade?

                            

 

Now off you go!