How we do...

... little boy's closets.  Over a month ago we added closet inserts into the boy's room.  We did this for practical reasons like having more floor space for them and for maximizing the capacity of the closets.  After living in a home with built-ins in every closet and seeing how helpful that was for organizing I am a huge fan now.

 This layout was worked out by Dave and I searching out the best components at the best price.  Having sliding doors is a challenge since you can only have one side open at a time.  That means you shouldn't put anything that is accessed everyday in the middle.   The top two shelves were the one that was already there plus the same self and brackets that we removed from our own closet last year.  We just didn't use the hanging bars across.
 

We purchased another shelf and brackets to go above the metal drawers.  The drawers and hanging bar are from Ikea.  For two little boys with very little that needs hanging up this option works well.  I don't think they'll need more hanging space than that for many years.

As you can see clothes, books (lots of them) and blankets as well as stuffed animals and keepsakes are all in this standard size closet.  I was able to get everything except the hand-me-down clothing in there and free up more of our storage room space.

The baskets are great visually and they are easy to pull out.  Overall I am thrilled by the transformation of this project.  Dave did the construction and I have to say that he is a trooper with me when it comes to this stuff.  But he can't ever fully comprehend how happy an organized closet makes me.  It just helps the day go smoothly, yah know?

My Birch Tree

A few years ago birch trees started to call to me.  They sent me messages that struck at my soul.  They compelled me to look closer at them, to meditate on who and what they are. 

I did research and found that the birch is a tree of beginnings, a tree of new perspectives and protection.  Birch trees are about everyday work, the tasks that are demanded for survival. 

I took it as an omen of good that there was a birch tree in the garden in front of our home when we moved in.  And the tree is the anchor on which the garden was built.  It touches the front of our home in places and I delight in its changes throughout the seasons.  In winter the raindrops glisten on the branches, in summer the leaves rustle in the wind.  For a long while I collected all the branches it discarded and made several things out of them.

I believe this one is a white birch although I'm no expert in identifying trees (yet).  The shade of a birch is dappled.  The small leaves make wonderful patterns of light.

I'm going to miss this tree.  I feel like its champion since my neighbour complained about it most of the time.

This is the first time that I've felt such a kinship with a particular tree.  I hope she lives long and brings delight to whoever the next family is to live here. 

Living Room Tour

As promised here is the first tour of our current home.  I've chosen to highlight the things that I love about the living/dining room, some of which can be recreated elsewhere and some that can't.

This view is good for the soul.  The Cedars stay green all year long and sway in the wind.  We also watch the squirrels jump from tree to tree and the birds singing from the branches.  Chickadees came and ate from our bird feeder in the winter too.  And several times now we've seen a Stellar's Jay on the balcony railing.  Stellar's Jays are the provincial bird of British Columbia.

 

It has been so nice to have a working fireplace even though we've had some not so great moments with it.  This was my second home with a working fireplace and this one had a mantle of sorts which I enjoyed decorating despite its makeshift nature.  By makeshift I mean that the former tenants bolted glass shelves to the existing wood mantle beam and we've had some accidents to prove that it may not have been the best solution for more display space.  Our new home does not have a fireplace so we'll miss this one.

The little TV nook area was a challenge to decorate.  But it did lead us to find the TV stand that I still really like.  (our toy storage is still a work in progress...lol...)

I have wonderful memories attached to this shelf display.  Dave actually made a spreadsheet to decide what arrangement he liked the best.  His meticulous Virgo nature came out full force in this but I think he did a great job.  We'll bring these shelves with us and I'm curious to see what shape they will morph into next. 

This piece is what I will miss the most from this room.  A lovely built in display cabinet with storage for linens, candles and photo albums below.  The china looks so nice in there.  Obviously we will get another hutch type piece someday but this one came ready made.  Do you think they'd notice the huge hole in the wall if we took it with us? 

So that's the end of the tour for today.  I feel grateful that I'll have this record for Ky and for my own memory's sake.  As a visual person I can recall almost every place I've lived in but this is more concrete and much more personal than just clicking through photos in a folder.  Have a great weekend.