Spring Break

Couldn't you just dance? Couldn't you just kiss the ground? Couldn't you just cry tears of joy? I certainly could - because spring is officially HERE! For me, it has been the longest winter, and honestly, I'm having to check my calendar twice to make sure that it really is over!

Tomorrow begins spring break for my girls and I'm not going to spend all my time working on projects (though I'm chomping it to bits to get things done...). We did buy them new twin mattresses earlier in the week and I've been trying to spruce their room up a bit to ease them into the change. You see, they've shared a bed since they were very little, so now having their own bed is a really big deal. They actually cried themselves to sleep the night we ordered the mattresses, not because they would miss sleeping with each other, but because the idea of throwing out their old mattress just devastated them. They begged and pleaded with me to at least keep the mattress in the garage or the attic. They left protest notes. They called their daddy Mr. Bologna (I don't know why), and they said they were on strike against their new mattresses and would not sleep on them unless the old mattress was stored somewhere in the house.

I felt for them, I really did. But I held my ground. The old mattress must go, much like our old van that died last year. I told them I loved that old van - the one we bought when they were babies and held so many memories, the one we had to replace no matter how much I loved it, the one that made me cry when I even thought about replacing it, even long before it finally keeled over. Change is hard. But realizing that our memories are kept within our minds and hearts and not within 'things' helps. So the old mattress was hauled off on Wednesday and replaced with two new twins. And the girls were excited, though they were sure to tell me that they "still missed their old mattress".

On Monday, I spent the day painting their room a pretty shade of purple - the color they both agreed on. It was a surprise for them when they got home from school and they actually began to get excited about the changes. I also primed their bookshelf and french provencal dresser in preparation for a white coat of paint or two that hubs will be working on later today. We're hoping to have it finished by the time they have their sleep over this upcoming weekend. This bedroom spruce up wasn't on my current mile long project list (goodness knows I have too much going on to begin with), but sometimes you just have to drop everything and change directions, as parents especially know.

Here is a before photo of the dresser. This is the picture pulled from the Craigslist ad where I bought it and isn't my photo - I apologize that it's so small. But hopefully you can tell that it is really sweet. It's solid wood and perfect for a little girls room. There is just something so fresh about white against light purple.

I may be scarce for the next week or so (as I have been for the last week or so) because I have some fun things planned for the girls next week and I'm also trying to make sure some important things get finished before the sleepover.

I hope everyone is enjoying springs arrival as much as I am and we'll see you soon!

P.S. The photo above was taken on the last day of winter...time to put away my signature wool hat till next year and get out the sunglasses and sandals! Spring is here - and change is good!

Strawberries and Cream Muffins + A Little Update

Isn't it odd, don't you think, that I've chosen to breathe a little life into my blog by posting a recipe? Well, you see, I did mean to post this recipe well over a month ago but if you only knew how topsy turvey things are at the moment, you'd understand why I'm only now getting around to writing out this sweet little recipe... Thanks to all who keep checking in for any signs of life:)

We've begun more deconstruction here at the house which has included tearing out a coat closet in the living room (to make room for a future secretary or book shelf) and also taking apart our daughter's closet in order to expand it. She had two small closets but we are creating one larger closet with just one door instead of the two. This work has to be done, along with tearing down our hallway ceiling to raise it a foot, before we can put our flooring down. We are inching our way closer to real flooring at last!

And in the middle of all this, we are getting ready to have our yard sale in two weeks and there are piles of "things" everywhere! Throw in there that May has been the month for school projects galore and we also have two upcoming school musicals this week (for which I must finish two costumes in the next few days!)...and not to mention that we've all been taking turns being sick for the last several weeks. One week when hubs was away, I was so ill that I stumbled head first into the bathroom door frame and it knocked me out to the floor for a little while. My oldest daughter came in and was curious as to why I was "sleeping" on the floor:)

Sadly, we also lost our pet cockatiel Buddy this month, the one that we bought after our parakeet Skyler died last year. I've never written about Buddy because I was so afraid something would happen to him - I didn't even want to buy him to begin with to tell you the truth, for the very same reason. But it wasn't very hard to fall in love with the little guy, and did I ever! Unfortunately, hubs didn't know Buddy was
on his shoulder one day a few weeks ago when he stepped outside onto the deck. Buddy took off and went up, up, up, and away like a helium balloon. I just really don't think we are cut out for birds, as much as I love them, and I told hubs that there would be no more. We have taken all the right steps to try and find him and have spent many hours posting flyers, calling vets and animal clinics, talking to neighbors, and canvassing nearby areas, but nothing yet. I still keep my eyes upwards when I'm out and about, though. We all have been down about losing him but it's a different kind of sadness than when we lost Skyler. It's a sadness with a little bit of hope attached to it. Even if we don't get him back, we can at least hope that someone finds him and that he has a good home somewhere.

Somehow in the midst of the chaos, the baking bug bit me and I've been busy whipping up cookies, muffins, and breads. I even concocted a little recipe of my own based on a combination of other recipes. I call them Strawberries and Cream Muffins (with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting). The kids really loved them! Here is the recipe:

Strawberries and Cream Muffins with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Muffins:
1 cup fresh strawberries (frozen can be used)
1 tablespoon water
3/4 cup sugar(1/4 C for strawberries and 1/2 C for muffins)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on lemon preference)
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Muffins:
2. Cut up strawberries into small chunks and gently stir in 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of water. Set aside.
3. In large mixing bowl, cream 1/4 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 3-5 tablespoons of lemon juice. Combine 2 1/4 cups flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and add to creamed mixture alternately with cream and milk. Fold in strawberries.
4. Spoon batter into greased or lined muffin tins and fill 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 24 - 26 minutes. Let cool before frosting.
Frosting:
5. Combine softened 8 oz. cream cheese, 1/4 cup softened butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice. Blend with mixer until smooth and spread on cooled strawberries-n-cream muffins. Top with whole or sliced strawberries.

Where Credit is Due

Digital scrapbook elements obtained from http://www.digital-scrapbook-art.com/ and http://digitalscrapbookgrapixs.blogspot.com/ .

My "Recovery" Nest

I mentioned in my post yesterday that tomorrow, I'm having all four of my wisdom teeth removed (eek!). For the last couple of months, our bedroom has served as a dumping ground of sorts for many of our upcoming yard sale items and each time I have to go in there, I've just dreaded it. I've even frequently slept on the couch to avoid being in there, hehe. The room just wasn't very restful!

But knowing that I would need a place away from everything and everybody after my surgery, I kicked it into high gear this week and tried to create a quaint and peaceful space with a few things I already had on hand. As you can see, our bedroom is teeny-tiny and I'm really looking forward to really changing it in the future. I'm dying to paint the old pine furniture! There are no windows in our bedroom (we'll add them during the remodel), only a door leading to our deck. So to create the illusion of light and windows, I added mirrors and curtains on both sides of the bed and it's amazing how it makes the room seem bigger and less boxy - and more cozy! You can't tell from the photo, but our ceiling is really, really high and peaked, and there is a wooden beam in the center. It makes the room seem bigger than it is, as well.

So this is my "Little House on the Prairie" inspired room - my updated cottage take on it anyway:) The "bedskirt" is just a chenille blanket and the red mattelaise bed cover was a Goodwill find and fits the bed perfectly. On the left, you can see the side of our little armoire that hides the television. I took photos of the details of the room, but I couldn't find my tripod and the lighting is weird as you can tell, so the detailed photos were blurry. You can click these photos to enlarge them, though:) So there you have it - my little recovery nest!

Well, I'm off to enjoy some solid food while I can. Oddly enough, soup sounds good right now!

A Good Night's Rest...Finally!

I have horrible hip, neck and back problems stemming from a wooden roller coaster injury a decade ago. We've had our current mattress for about 9 years and though it has slept well over the years, it is time to retire it. I've slept on the couch for the last *three* months trying to get a good nights rest, but the couch isn't much better. So we decided to get a new mattress set. It arrived today and I am thrilled! It didn't take me long to get the bed made and I so badly just wanted to take a nap, lol! I had other things to do, unfortunately, but I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight:)


Our bedroom is tiny and isn't really decorated yet. Who knows when I'll get around to that. But I did decide today to bring the artwork from the dining room to the bedroom just to add a splash of color and cheerfulness. We're working on the dining room and kitchen now anyway so it needs a new place to reside for a while:)

Decorate Your Bedroom Like a Bed & Breakfast Inn: 10 Tips

Decorate Your Bedroom Like a Bed & Breakfast Inn: 10 Tips

By Kathryn Bechen

We all need a romantic getaway weekend now and then. Even if funds are tight and time is short, with a little ingenuity and creativity you can turn your own bedroom at home into a romantic and relaxing "Bed & Breakfast Inn" retreat for you and your mate.


10 Tips to get you started:

1. Clutter Cutter. De-clutter your bedroom when you begin your fluff-up. Nothing kills romance faster than a pile of dusty magazines and techno paraphernalia.

2. Maid Brigade. Next comes the dust rag and vacuum. Turn on some music and make it fun!

3. Sensuous Sheets. Purchase some colorful new sheets in a pattern you love with a thread count of at least 300.

4. Divine Duvet. Invest in a pretty new duvet cover or bedspread. It will freshen up the room instantly.

5. Pillow Pizzazz. Some new pillows and pillowcases that coordinate with your sheets and duvet will add softness to your bed.

6. Flower Finesse. Buy some fresh flowers and put them in a favorite vase.

7. Candle Cozy. A few flickering candles will add instant romance to your new B&B bedroom.

8. Music Magic. Now for some light jazz or classical music to set the tone for the evening.

9. TV Tune-out. Unless you and your mate purposely choose to watch a funny or romantic movie together, turn the TV off.

10. Tray of Delights. Bring in a wine and cheese tray with some fresh fruit, dim the lights, and you’re on your way to a lovely and romantic stay in your very own Bed & Breakfast Inn bedroom. Enjoy!

c2005 Kathryn Bechen. All rights reserved worldwide.


Visit http://www.kathrynbechendesigns.com for more free ideas and tips for decorating your cottage style home on a dollarwise budget and to sign up for Kathryn's free e-newsletter of decorating tips and resources. Kathryn is an interior decorating consultant and author who specializes in Cottage Style, Non-Toxic, and Dollarwise decorating.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathryn_Bechen

**photos above of One Woman's Bedroom

Reaching Back Into the Photo Archives: More Cottage Bedroom Photos

I really need to start making a list of all the things that need to be done around here before our overnight guests, my mother and stepfather, arrive around the second week of July. I've warned my mom about the state of this place we call home yet she isn't scared off. She knows all about home renovation and lived through it for many months while I lived at home. At any rate, I still want the place to be as presentable as we can get it before they arrive. Someday soon, when I'm feeling brave, I'll have to go through the house and take photos of all the scary, ugly parts. Renovation is not pretty and I'm sure not proud of the state of "undone-ness" and chaos this house is currently in. *sigh*

While I'm composing lists and working on last minute projects, I wanted to share with you the very first project we tackled when we bought this house three years ago. It was our oldest daughter's bedroom. When we finished painting the room and her bedroom furniture, I took a few photos that I don't think I've ever shared here in our renovation journal. The photos show that the room wasn't yet decorated but they also show what can be achieved with a little bit of paint. I wish the room would have stayed this simple and pristine with just a few added accessories (we added lamps, a bed canopy, and few little accessories), but I'm finding that a pre-teen girl loves to personalize her space with her own "decorations", such as posters, art, and her own crafts and such. Her "style" is a bit busy and cluttered for my taste, lol, but - it is her space and at this point, we just want her to keep it clean:)

The inspiration behind the wall and furniture colors was this quilt. I loved the periwinkle blue and greens and pinks in it.



By the way, the grey berber carpet you see in the photos is the same kind of carpet we just pulled out of our little girls' room. When we redo this bedroom again, we'll be pulling the carpet out, too, and replacing it with hardwood. Our daughter says that she doesn't want us to remove the carpet until we can put down the wood floors, so no painting the subfloor of this room, it looks like!






Somehow I was able to find curtains that matched the wallcolor exactly. (That floor really needs a rug, huh?!)


A five dollar yard sale headboard that we painted white...



This is a little Broyhill desk that we painted "Hibiscus" pink and white.



The same colors were used for the dresser. It looked like this before we painted it:



And then after...


I suspect that by the time we redo this room, she's going to want something a little more grown up. She loves turquoise and purple and is no longer a fan of pink, so I see a whole new color scheme for this room in the future. I recently came across a really pretty cotton duvet set from Designers Guild that she liked and I have to say, it changed my thoughts on using purple and turquoise together:)

Ok..well, enough daydreaming about future projects. There's too much to do here as it is! If you don't hear from me often in the next couple of weeks, just know that I'm busy clearing a path through this house and trying to get a few projects wrapped up!

Photos of Cottage Childrens' / Guest Bedroom Makeover

I put the the girls room back together today, all except the dresser. It's heavy and hubs will have to help me with that later. I so wish I had the time this week to redo it before we moved it back in! I bought it off Craigslist...it's old(ish) and solid wood. There is a matching nightstand, too, but the previous owners really did a number on it's finish( Gold paint!!!) Btw, the photo of the dresser isn't one I took..it was the sellers pic...I'm just embarrassed for them over that...er...interesting wall behind it, lol! Not my wall, folks! Not my wall! But I digress...

I took tons of photos of the girls' improved bedroom and what will also be our guestroom. As I believe cottage decorating should be, decorative elements will be added over time as I collect things. I just don't have that much now as most of our resources are going into the remodel as opposed to the decor. But, boy, I can't wait until I can truly decorate this house!

As for this bedroom, I know that I need shelves or art or something on the walls and curtains will also be added. I'm still trying to decide between long, flowy crisp white linen or a white drape shade type treatment. And wouldn't it be neat to have some Wonderful Graffiti above the bed? I also need to repaint their closet door and bedroom door.

In time, those doors will be replaced with solid pine doors, but the current ones need all the help they can get right now. Additional future remodeling plans for this room include: resurfacing the walls (with a pitted texture effect) hardwood flooring, pine plank ceiling (painted white), crown moulding, new window sill and trim, and new baseboards and door trim.

Now on to the photos! Like I said, I took a lot and hope I don't bore you silly with them. I tried to take photos of every angle so you can get a feel for the layout of the room. I won't post them all here, but you can see photos of everything we've done to the room in our photo gallery. I want to mention that the "rugs" in the photos aren't rugs at all. I wanted to get an idea of what size and type of rugs to put in there and I'd love to find something sweet in the style and size of these scalloped matelisse king size shams. I'm still throwing around the idea of making a floorcloth though I think with all the colors and patterns going on in the room now, it would have to be really simple. Also, my ivy that's on the bedside table won't stay in the room. A five and six year old would have it toppled in no time! I just needed something to fill in the table space for the photos. The room is so bare... The tiger lilies on the chair replaced the ivy after my little photo shoot:)

If you're new here, just click the photos to enlarge:)

First, the before photo. I wish that I had remembered to take a picture of the room before we ripped out the carpet. It was greyish berber.



I picked this quilt set up at the flea market last year. I had already bought the girls this set at Linens-N-Things and planned on keeping it packaged up and in my closet until we could do a real makeover on their room. The LNT set was a bit pricey and very delicate in some ways (had ribbons and beads on it)...so I decided that I would rather err on the side of durability and buy the quilt set you see in the photos. So far, it has held up well under several washings.









I know...I've gone over the top with all these pillows and shams, but what can I say? I just love all the colors and patterns and fluff! Who wouldn't be happy in a room filled with flowers and checks and polka dots? I bought the green checked sham a while back at a yard sale (I'm sure there is another one around here somewhere) and the old red polka dotted pillowcase at Goodwill. I wanted that pillowcase the first time I saw it but decided not to buy it in attempt to save a few pennies...but the next time I visited the store and it was still there, it was mine!



A flea market chair, Goodwill vase, Pier 1 woven bag and blankets...Tiger lilies from my yard:)



The slipcover and basket are from Goodwill. How I do love baskets!



I may put the girls' dresser on this wall, but then again, I may put it back where I had it (parallel to the bed on the wall across from the window) to give them a bit more room to play. In case you are wondering, we do have a playroom where all of their toys are kept - in big but portable baskets!



I picked this dust ruffle up while I was at Wal-Mart today. It does the job but I think it might be a little too bright compared to the white in the quilt. Maybe even a red dust ruffle would work???


Honestly, I threw this mirror into the room to fill in a little space for the photos. I didn't bother to hang it because I don't think it will stay in there. The girls' dresser mirror will provide just enough reflective goodness in this small room, I think. It screams cottage, though! I got it at Goodwill.



You may remember this sweet little scalloped edged table when I posted about it back in March. I got it at a yard sale for $1. It was in terrible shape but hubs got to work on it and now it's as solid as a rock! He replaced the top and bottom panels and secured the entire table. In the photos, it's only primed because I can't figure out what color to paint it! Still, not too shabby (or I should say, just shabby enough!) for one dollar!



And finally, a clear shot of that bare window! Actually, it does have a woven blind on it, but it doesn't look that great in there. Thoughts about window treatments would be appreciated!



I hope you enjoyed these. You can see that the room is pretty simple but the girls really seem to be enjoying it so far. I'll try to remember to take a couple of shots once we get the dresser back in place.

I'm going to take a break now and will actually be out of town for a couple of days, so until I "see" you next week, you all take care!

Buh-Bye Brass Headboard - You've Been De-Blinged

Several, several months ago, one of our neighbors put a pile of stuff out in their yard near the road. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Were they cleaning out their garage? Were they giving the stuff away? I wasn't sure so I just tried to ignore the pile. Each time I drove by, though, one item in particular always stood out to me. That item was a full sized brass headboard. I don't care for brass, or gold, or even silver or chrome finishes for that matter, but I really liked the form of the the cheapy headboard that the neighbors had on display in their yard for a few weeks. So one morning as I drove by on the way to taking the kids to school, I told myself that when I returned, I would stop and ask the neighbors if I could have it. When I made it back to the neighborhood, imagine my surprise as I drove up just in time to see the neighbors throwing the headboard into their big rented garbage bin! Lol, I couldn't believe that after all those weeks, the ONE morning I decide to ask about the headboard, they decide to toss it! Well, undeterred, I parked and walked across their lawn and kindly asked them if they would mind giving the headboard to me. They happily dug it out of the bin for me and I stuffed it into the van and brought it home. It's been in storage all this time...until today.

I had this headboard in mind for the girls bed because they've been needing one. However much they needed one, they wouldn't be using this one until I completely masked it's brass. So that's what I worked on this afternoon. I first sprayed the headboard with Rustoleum Clean Metal Primer and then I followed that with Rustoleum American Accents "Blossom White" satin finish spray paint. I think it looks a lot more "cottage country" now and I'm pleased with the results.

Behold the power of paint...(or canned 'Bling-Be-Gone' as I like to call it)!!!

(click to enlarge)

Who Says Subflooring Can't Be Pretty?

Decoupaging the flowers to the floor took no time at all so I snapped some photos for you to see how this project turned out. The girls tell me that their floor is "pretty", which I'm happy to hear:) I know the checkerboard/decoupage was a bit of work for a temporary floor, but because the rest of the house is pretty much undone, I wanted the girls to have a nice, "put together", girly space in which to retreat and relax and play.

(Click to enlarge)





If you've been following this project, you may know that originally I just planned on doing the diamond/checkerboard pattern. However, I realized halfway through taping the floor that my diamonds wouldn't touch each other due to the pattern I used. Rather than retaping, I opted to fill in the gaps between the diamonds with the decoupaged flowers.

BUT, I *now* know how to create a perfect diamond checkerboard pattern thanks to the help from a couple of folks who've done this flooring technique before. Tammy, who owns a beautiful 1882 Victorian, shared some photos with me of her porch and how she taped it off to create a diamond pattern. As you can see, individual squares are made with the tape instead of rows of squares (like I made).

By the way, Tammy is selling her lovely home...you HAVE to check out some of the photos of the work she and her husband have done on their house. It's just gorgeous!

Bouquet of Cut Flowers (Decoupage for Cottage Style Floor)

I hinted in a comment on my last entry that I've come up with another way to add a floral design to the bedroom floor we're working on. While painted flowers would be lovely, I decided that it would be just as charming to decoupage them onto the floor. So I made laser photo copies of the flowers on the girls' quilt sham and cut them all out with precision scissors...all 54 of them! I love the detail in the flowers - you can even see the stitches! After I glue them into place and they're dry, I'll coat the flowers with several layers of clear polyeurothane for durabilty. I'll be working on that today because the diamond pattern on the floor is finished:)





Another shot of the quilt sham and 'bouquet of cut flowers'...

I'm off to arrange flowers now! Have a happy Monday, everyone!

Painted Floor Options

As we were discussing in the comments of my last post about my diamond floor pattern, the taping configuration I've used will produce diamonds that won't be touching each other at the corners...at least not the green diamonds I'll be painting. I didn't plan it that way and I'd really rather everything be just right - all corners touching. I briefly considered redoing the taping, but I reminded myself that this is just a temporary floor solution until we remodel their room and lay the hardwood down next year at some point. Retaping would just be taking time away from...painting those darn cabinet doors, which, btw, I got another coat on yesterday.

So, Bill from Enon Hall kindly did a mock up showing what my floors will look like when complete.

If I ever do this project again, I'll definitely tape in such a way that there are no gaps. Live and learn! But, for now, I can either leave the gaps or add a painted decorative touch where the gaps are. I'm thinking about painting in little flowers that coordinate with the girls' quilt and shams. This is a little busy for my taste, but then again, I'm not 5 and 6 years old:)



Big sister, who is 11 1/2, is getting really tired of the girls rooming with her, so now that I know exactly what I want to do, I better get started:) Happy Thursday!

Taping Off Floor for Painted Diamond Pattern

Work continues in my daughters' bedroom. I figured that taping off for the diamond pattern would be fairly simple, but I'm amazed at how hard it was to get the diamonds perfectly square and just right. I just worked on the taping off and on for three days and eventually finished it, thank goodness.

Here are some photos of the floor all taped off and nowhere to go. These are 20" squares and the ones marked with a small piece of tape in the center will be painted green, the same color as the walls. For those of you who may be reading about this project for the first time, the (sub)floors are painted with three coats of white gloss porchpaint.

By the way, if anyone sees a crooked line, I.don't.want.to.know. :)

Progress on Cottage Bedroom Temporary "Redo"

As I mentioned in one of my recent entries, we had to rip out Lindsay and Zoe's bedroom carpet the other day due to Lindsay's growing allergy problems. We have a lot of renovation work to do in the bedrooms later before we'll put down hardwood floors, so for a temporary floor solution, we're just painting the subfloors with gloss white porch paint. They look great so far with two coats, but I'm going to add a third coat to cover all the seams. Today I picked up some paint the same color we painted their walls a few days ago, "Homestead Resort Parlor Sage" (which is what our kitchen will be painted), and this weekend, I hope to be able to get around to painting a big green diamond checkerboard pattern on the floor. I wanted to pull a different color out of their quilt (see sham above) but the girls really wanted green checks.

Here is what the room looks like since we painted the walls and floor:






I think it would be neat to do a canvas floorcloth for a rug, too. Maybe I can incorporate some of the quilt colors into it...

I picked up the white metal spray paint for the girls headboard. Hopefully when I'm finished, it will look like an old iron headboard. Right now it's a yellow brass:( The dresser needs a redo, but that's a larger project that's going to have to wait until the kitchen cabinets are done. The dresser is now an off-white color. It's a great old-fashioned piece with lots of charm. I bought it off Craigslist.com several months ago. I plucked this photo from the sellers listing, so it's not very large and it's full of all their clutter. Hopefully, though, you can still make out the style.

In other news, I think my mom may be coming in for a visit from California. I got a mysterious email from her recently that said "Hope you're up for company...the house renovation isn't going to keep me away this time!". I've had nightmares about this. Lol, not about my mom, but about her coming and seeing my house in such a state of chaos and disarray! The last time she saw our house was three years ago when we first moved in. It was cleaner and better organized then during the moving in process than it is now! Oh well...for my mom's safety, I just pray that she doesn't open a closet door, lol! We're clearing a path for you now!