Mudroom for President

Milkbarn Mudroom wins in a landslide!

I joked with Clay 2 months ago about how amazing I would be at my job if the mudroom was finished.

 I half meant what I said because I was feeling frazzled with pretty much no storage space and 4 kids

(where does that ceramic bowl from Ms. Hazard's art class go?)

 With school starting it would be another heap of backpacks, jackets and whatever else they bring home from school by the front door.

 Add snow gear to the mix and my organizational side of the brain triggers an event in my body.

 That event is full blown panic and anxiety and frustration.

(not to mention the current election season)

So YES, this mudroom is going to make me AMAZING! 

Clay designed the whole thing.

I take no credit other than telling him I wanted 

lockers for the kids.

 We topped it with the same hickory we placed on top of our bookcase in the ninja room.

The lockers being built out in the garage by Clay.

Clay trying to ruin my photos.

Typical.

The door going to the garage from the mudroom.

taped off for painting trim

The cubbies are built with a beadboard backing. 

Room above for off the shelf cupboards above from Lowes.

Protecting my red race cars...aka, my washer/dryer. 

We bought these years ago...still red, still going strong.

Before paint and cupboard install

After!

Hooks and hardware for hiding and hanging everything possible

necessary utility closet

The rest of our house has tons of light, this is the only 

"dark" room but it makes me smile. 

Somehow our mudroom turned out cozy :)

I say: This rug is not for wiping feet on. 

Henry: why is it here then?

Me: stop sounding like your Dad.

Flooring is a hex tile from Daltile. 

We designed and placed the little white flowers as an ode to being out here in nature. 

He trimmed it with the white border too!

Of course this before shot is calm and amazing right?

The after AFTER shot.

This is life. This is reality.

Piled up high. 

And messy.

Pretty amazing.

Anyone out here will tell you about the amazing fall we have had.

No snow but can I tell you about the animals out here lately?

 Bobcat sighting by Lucy, what?? BOBCATS? 

We went out for our Sunday evening walk and met our neighborhood black bear heading for an apple tree so we obviously headed back in! And no joke...a raccoon ran up my tree and then had the gall to take bites out of crab apples and proceeded to throw them down in my direction! 

And all the deer! 

We pulled up late one night to a 4 point buck just standing in my driveway. 

He barely got out of my way to park.

Don't mind us woodland creatures, just trying to live out here.

Cleaned up around our wood burning stove for winter,

 this is the calm before the storms.

 Our Halloween Milkbarn

She had been planning this costume for awhile.

 Holy Cow!

Chester dabbed his way through a school Halloween parade.

Seriously?

Trick or treating!

Ran into Audrey and her friends!

(We only had 3 out of 4 kids on Halloween,

 we get it Collins kids...we get it!)

Me and Clay

H & A running the guessing jar game at our local church

 Halloween party

And just some beautiful shots from a behind the house coming  down from a hike with friends

Of course the next project has begun, redoing the garage. 

New concrete floors poured and ready to turn into Clay's workshop.

I think it might make him amazing :)