The last closet

Well we are finally getting things rolling for summer around here.  There is a lot of swimming bicycling, gardening, water and dirt play.  With all that goes on and finally consistent weather I figured it was safe to re do the hall closet.  These are the before pictures which was quite messy.

Now after the clean up...

I keep a canvas shoe holder not for shoes but for items needed for the season sunscreen, sunglasses, hair burshes combs etc.. I also keep anything we might need before run out the door. 

Up top on the left is one of those crunch laundry baskets from The Container Store.  Very handy for extra swimsuits, google and hats. The right basket is for extra bags for when we are on the go.

Down below I was inspired by a blog for this shoe holder.  I apologize I can't find the link so I don't know who to give credit to for this idea.  I absolutely love this shelf  from Lowe's it 's great to keep everyone's summer shoes handy.  I'm hoping this will still work for fall/winter when footwear is bulky.  If you notice I have hooks on both sides of the closet for easy access to jackets instead of up high on hangers which can be hard to reach for some of the kids. 

Well that's the last of the closet clean up.  Well actually except for mine.  I'll spare you the pictures and details but you can just picture sweatpants, summer skirts mixed with tank tops and sweaters.  Yes it's bad in there for me.  It's funny as moms we set up a home for the whole family piece by piece and we are always revamping and improving but who is usually at the bottom of the list?  Hmmm.. not too fair but it's a sacrifice I make to keep the rest of the household running.

Friday Moment

A little bit of what has been going on here this week.

Yarn Along Wednesday

Well I made it back this week for Ginny's yarn along.  Lately it seems that's all I can make it back to in blogland.  Things have been quiet on the blogsphere lately because too much going on in the real world that needed tending to and family upkeeping and care that needs mama's attention.  As the year wraps up, activites are coming to an end and recitals and shows are done there seems to be paperwork and other appointments that pop up and throw off my day a bit.  Actually it throws me way off  that I don't remember what day it is.  If you're in New England you know what I mean.  This weather is making things confusing and some of us a little flakey.  So I may not know what day it is I am enjoying and figuring stuff out with the kids and making and cooking. But this weather there was no spring just straight to summer and now cool enough to feel like fall.  So I'm keeping my fingers crossed in the meantime while reflecting, remembering and learning as I go about these days slowly.  Hope to share some progress soon still didn't clean that closet but did finish my latest painting furniture fiasco and collected more books from the latest book sale.

 Just some fun finds for the kids.

 Fun finds for me ::

Patty Jane's House of Curl by Lorna Landvik

Blessings by Anna Quindlen

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant

Your Oasis on Flame Lake by Lorna Landvik

The Tall Pine Polka by Lorna Landvik

Four Spirits by Sena Jeter Naslund

Plainsong by Kent Haruf

What Looks Like Crazy by Pearl Cleage

The Last Girls by Lee Smith

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah

The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wrobleweski

What's on the needles lately?  Well I'm still working on my pink hat for knitting class (very theraputic and much needed) and still working on this throw crochetted with cotton yarn.

Have a great Wednesday.

Yarn Along Wednesday

I made it back to the Ginny's yarn along today because I was too exhausted and engrossed in this book last week.

 I started Dreams of Joy and couldn't put it down for a couple of days.  It was incredible and horrific. A book that will definitley stay with me.  It's the sequel to Shanghai Girls which was also another good read.  Both are good but brace yourself for some powerful moments.
On the knitting needles I'm starting a hat.  I don't have a pattern because I started a knitting class on Saturday and she did not give us the pattern.  It's been therapeutic and I already finished my homework for next week.

 Untill my next knitting class I'm crochetting a summer throw.  I haven't brought up that grey throw I started in the fall because it's not complete and too hot to work on so I stored it away for this fall to pick up.  In the meantime I bought 3 skeins of cotton yarn 170 yards each in white, blue and a multicolored yarn.  I knitted a 5 inch square and then cast off and began crochetting a border and just changed the colors every few rows.  No pattern just hoping for the best for something different. 

These are new books added to my library last passed along from a friend.  I'm thinking maybe some good summer reads.

Sorry for the long absence but last week was an exhausting week. My energy was just zapped from Memorial Day Weekend.  Not from barbecues, the beach, gardening or anything. I was clothes sorting and closet organizing.  That can be quite an undertaking with 5 kids.  Worst of all I didn't have a great system to begin with when we moved in so I basically reinvented the wheel. 
Since the weather finally stabilized and it no longer feels like winter I figured it was safe to change the clothes.  My first plan of action was to go to The Container Store and see what baskets they had to help me organize and that would fit on those Ikea Billy Bookcases.  I found these baskets in 3 different sizes that worked for the shelves.  It did take some figuring out because of the different need and sizes.
First up I have the two older girl rooms Stefania & Valentina.  I tried to start with what I thought was the hardest because they have things to be passed down to the next sister.

 Since there are no bureaus or typical bedroom furniture the kids have bookcases with baskets which makes  it easier to grab socks, tights, leggings, leotard, tops and coordinated outfits.  Each girl has two baskets of clothes.  One is for the coordianted outfits and the other is the random t-shirts and shorts. All socks go in 1 basket, in another basket all leggings and in another basket leotards and tights.  I did not separate by size because after laundry is done it's easier to put away.

 Up top is where I do my storage.  I don't keep bins of clothes in the basement and attic and sort by size or age to be honest it's too much work lugging them up and down.  I prefer to keep clothes they will grow into or that they will use in the next season in their room up high.  I found these laundry baskets at The Container Store that fit above the book shelf for spring/summer clothes.  The left one is for short sleeve tops and the right for shorts, skirts and capris.  Again they are sorted by category not size because it's easier grab and store.

 The girls closet was also organized.  Left hand is the younger girl and right side older girl.  Each side is broken down by category first section are clothes they would wear right now, second catgory are spring/summer clothes and the third category are fall/winter clothes.  This make movinging clothes around easier when I have to switch the seasons or when someone outgrows something it gets hung to another side of the closet in the right category.

 On the door I came with this idea for a shoe holder.  The past couple of special occasions/holidays I didn't have the right size tights/nylons or undershirts and that was very frustrating.  With so many girls it would have been nice to see what I had or didn't have before running out to buy whatever.  So now with the a clear holder there are compartments for tights nylons and undershirts.  The shoe holder is pretty long so I folded it in half and held it together with binder clips.

 Almost forgot in the closet 2 more of those laundry basket 1 for long sleeves and the other for long pants/jeans. 
I don't have a picture of under the bed but I did need extra storage for fleeces and 1 for pajamas all sizes for the next season.   So that is how I got the girls room all in order with all their clothes in the room and also makes it easier when family and friends pass things along that won't get used for a long time.

Next the Sophia and Melania's room.

 I actually made this mess not them.  But then I cleaned it all.

 Same idea for the younger girls for the closet sorted left side younger girl and right side older girls.  Up top clothes for next spring/summer.  Everyone has hooks on the closet door to hang their towels instead of in the bathroom.

 The younger girls didn't get new baskets I just took all the ones from the older kids rooms and brought them here so it's coordinated now and organized.  On the irht side the three lower shelves are for clothes they wear now and pajamas.  The higher up you go is more for storage next season pajamas, fleeces, fall/winter clothes etc. 

Finally a little nook to read and snuggle.
Thanks for reading this lengthy post but now you can see why I was tuckered out last week.  To be honest with all that hard work it doesn't  always stay that way.  I just wanted pictures of the proof of all that work and that it can be picked up and put away. 
What's next ?  How about a hall closet cleaned up today.  Hope to have pictures of that for Thursday can't wait to share in the yarn along tomorrow.

Friday Moment-Origami at the Recital

Well it's Wednesday and time for Ginny's yarn along.  (I don't know if it's still on because she is due but I hope there others out in blogland continuing this week.)
Again nothing on the knitting needles just new knitting needles.  I broke down and after thinking about it for a year these came in the mail.  I won't be trying anything soon till my knitting class in June.  I finally broke down and signed up it was time after all the frustrations lately.
For my reading Sarah's Key is absolutely incredible!  It is quite intense very quickly till halfway in the book then it seemed not as intense but definitely interesting. I'm definitely in the mood for something less intense now.

Book Finds

Last week went ot a book sale at our local library and we ended up with all kinds of finds.

 I love love book sales especially when I can find a variety books for a kids ages 3-10.  We got our humor, animals, toddler books, children's books, 1 textbook, cookbooks.  I finally finished catalogging all of them tonight in Library Thing  and glad I did because these are my favorites for the kids library.

Look-Alikes Jr. by Joan Steiner

The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin

Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley

Robert the Rose Horse by Joan Heilbroner (vintage from 1964)

Rhymes and Reasons (it's a textbook)

The Daring Book for Girls by Miriam Peskowitz

 Now these are for mom's library :D  so happy that a friend helped find almost all of these.  Here's my list of books. 

Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout

Astrid & Veronika by Linda Olsson

Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand

Digging to America by Anne Tyler

Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz

Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik

Perfect Match by Jodi Piccoult

Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay

Strong for Potatoes by Cynthia Thayer

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Vine of Desire by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

This next set of magazines are thrift store finds that I wanted share.  I have been meaning to look into getting a subscription to one of these but before I do we can enjoy these Ladybug for the younger girls and  Cricket for the older kids

Happy reading!

Oreo Recital Cake

 I meant to have a post ready about the last book sale but it's not ready instead I have a cake.  Over the weekend we had a ballet recital and the kids had requested a celebration.  Since I was not planning on dinner out I got a chocolate cake ready but wanted a twist to it.  I was really inspired by this cake because of all the possible variations and after a chat with a friend we came up with an allergy friendly recital cake.

 First take a row of oreos. 

 Then crush them to bits.  Melt 2 tablespoons of dairy free margarine and mix it will be pastey.  Then spread evely in a 9x12 pan that's freezer safe for about 15 minutes.  Instead of margarine you can probably use soy milk to moisten the cookie. 

 In the meantime soften 1 quart of vanilla soy ice cream then scoop into a bowl.  In another bowl take 1 row of mint oreo cookies and crush them to bits. 

 Then take the crushed mint oreos and mix them really well with the soy ice cream.

 Take the tray out of the freezer and scoop the ice cream in different spots, then spread gently to cover the layer of the already crushed frozen oreos in the tray.
Cover and put in the freezer to harden overnight.  A few minutes before serving take out of freezer so it will be easier to cut.

When ready cut a piece of chocolate cake and then put a piece of ice cream cake and then drizzle with chocolate syrup.  We used the Hershey hardening chocolate and it was great.
Ok I know this looks nothing like the one over at i am baker but I was really inspired and yes it's sweet but it was so fun to make and eat. 

Friday Moment-Book Fun

Be back on Monday with our book sale finds.  Have a good weekend.