Entryway

Entryway;

I am so glad to have this blog being my new adventure. Do you remember the Sound of Music Movie?

Well, of course you do! Don’t you just love the story and the songs? I love the song Julie Andrews sings as she plays the role of ‘Maria’ when she’s starting her new assignment at the Trapp’s household. She sings ”I have confidence in confidence alone, cause it is plain to see, I have confidence in me” and she continues the song right up to the doorstep, gets interrupted, then looks up to GOD and says “Oh Help”.
I'm on assignment too...or maybe it's a mission. Anyway I have started my new assignment of; tackling our household & organizing our possessions. I am making heads way on the many unorganized areas, but I often verbally say “Oh Help”. 

I know the rewards it makes me feel to have solved even the tiniest problem. We are renting, but that doesn't mean I can't make this rental home look and feel homey. Right? 

Might as well start at the very beginning, that’s a very good place to start-haha, (laughing) because these words are also a song Maria sings as she is trying to teach the children to sing, remember?
“DO-RE-MI?”  Okay, enough. 
The instant, you come in the front door you face a stairway, or your looking into the mirror attached to the door of a very narrow closet. 

STAIRWAY

I would love a mudroom with places for coats, backpacks and everything else. Pretty sure the landlord would love for us to build his home a wonderful mudroom. Since we did get approval to do some painting. I needed solutions right away.

 Here's how I temporarily conquered the entryway problems. 

FULL

UNATTACHED SHELVING UNIT

First thing I did was to place a shelving unit for all of our paraphernalia. We brought this from our previous home. I haven’t attached it to the wall, like it’s supposed to be; instead it is just standing there. These shelves get very full over the course of a week and I am always reminding everyone to put their belongings away.  However, I love the fact that as I gather things throughout our home that do not ‘belong’ where I found them, that I can put them on their shelf. I even have things on the top that belong to Grandpa, and also to our oldest son. Returning to them ASAP. 

I do not have enough little baskets for everyone, so instead I am using some boxes we're collecting form Costco trips to cut down to fit on each shelf.

MAKE YOUR OWN STORAGE BOXES

And why not make your own storage boxes?

You are re-purposing an item that is functional and less expensive than a brand new–plastic bin. 

Just needs some pretty paper glued on and I haven't finished that yet. Still have an issue for shoes and boots to figure out as well.

                                  Okay! Onto the closet

 I have increased the hooks in the narrow closet just to accommodate our seasonal coats. {It’s cold out right now} No overhead lighting so it’s very dark. This narrow closet requires I only hang things on one side, or else it would feel even more cramped.” Aaahhh, it’s a dungeon.”

COAT RACK

BACK OF THE CLOSET

One high shelf at the very back of the closet. And one hanging bar. HMMMM?

 Trying to get to the back of the closet to hang coats in the dark wont work. Plus I really need a place to store my vacuum and steamer. So they are going under this bar.

SHOE ORGANIZER

I love the over the door hanging organizers, don’t you? They are really just for shoes Right? But several of you have shown these over the door organizers being used in many different ways. I've had this one for about 13 years and pretty much always used it for mittens, gloves, scarves, & hats. Because my family all have large feet, and the shoes never stayed in the little pockets. When used for mittens and gloves it's very easy to put them away as soon as you come in.

So that's our entryway as it looks currently, once improved I'll show & tell what we did.

See ya
Connie