Closet Makeover

Another lil' project Sister asked us to help her with

was her bedroom closet.

As she works for a big, local university,

she needs to have a professional wardrobe.

Not only does the standard wire rack

not hold much in the way of clothes,

it makes it quite difficult

to find just what you are looking for.

Oftentimes,

closets need to house things other than apparel.

Big K did most of the installation.

He's really good at this sort of thing.

Center shelves will keep shirts,

socks and delicates organized.

The top rack can be used for seasonal clothing,

or things like gifts or luggage.

The long shelf in the middle will give the bars used for items which need to be hung some support.

Four areas for hanging clothes give her lots of room

to sort by apparel type.

Prints on one side, solids on another

or sorting by shades of color,

are great ways to keep everything easily identified.

Plenty of room for dress slacks.

Matching wooden hangers really bring it all together.

Various baskets are used in the center area.

Socks and unmentionables have a home.

So much extra space underneath and on the topmost shelf

give her at least twice as much storage

as before the makeover.

Here's the before...

and after!

The new closet will make getting ready for work a breeze.

These systems can be found

at local big box stores or ordered online.

They are one of the first things we installed

when we bought our house.

Well worth any investment in time, effort or money.

This will definitely simplify your life!

TALU Link Up

Backyard Makeover (Sort of)

One of the projects I wanted to work on

while we were here in Charlotte is the backyard.

My sister wants it as maintenance-free as possible.

The area in the right corner will contain a raised bed

for vegetables and herbs.

That project will come later.

This area off the patio will contain annuals.

With the help of a good friend, we started with

the flagstone pathway.

Landscape fabric was laid down first.

The random pattern was laid out

from the gate to the existing cement patio.

Love the curves!

 

Gravel was added at the end of the pathway

as a transition to another part of this small yard.

Mulch was replaced in the existing bed

and a border added to contain it within.

The smooth rocks are soothing and

the mulch really dresses the area up.

We didn't have enough material to complete the project,

but she will get to it as she has time.

The main hurdle for her was the vision for the space,

something that her friend has a gift for.

I can't wait to see the finished backyard!

We're headed home this morning.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Day Trippin'

We took a little trip over to Gastonia yesterday,

which is about 30 minutes from where we are in Charlotte.

We found the farmer's market.

Inside there were quite a few vendors.

Most were carrying the same exact produce,

and with the exception of one, nothing organic.

Unfortunately, we found no peaches.

This caught my eye as soon as I walked in.

I love Hoosier cabinets and have always dreamed of owning one.

This looks like it could use some TLC.

We ended up buying just a few homemade treats

and a bouquet of gorgeous flowers for my sister.

We came upon this place on our travels.

It's right around the corner from the farmer's market.

These lured me in.

I have a thing for outhouses.

They are sheds, but I absolutely love the idea

of having one of these on the homestead.

Then we found the house of our dreams.

It's for sale.

The price is right.

It's surrounded by trees.

It's in a neighborhood.

No sale.

We've decided that we will end up having to rent

when we do move.

How does one find their ideal spot

when you relocate from another area of the country

and don't know exactly where you want to be?

I just hope we have a good realtor

when we are ready to make the move.

We'll be heading home tomorrow.

It's been a wonderful trip.

We are blessed to be able to travel and visit family.

Hope y'all are enjoying these last few days of summer!

Learning as we go...

We're in the last few days of our summer vacation.

This week we visited the Energy Explorium,

an interactive science museum.

Kids especially enjoy the hands-on exhibits.

Visual displays help us understand how energy works.

Computerized quizzes test your knowledge.

The vintage electronics are probably

my favorite part of this museum.

Outside there are lovely trails to wind through.

The site sits on Lake Norman.

A great day for hangin' around.

King's Mountain State Park

 This year for my birthday,

we visited King's Mountain State Park

in Blacksburg, South Carolina.

Just over the state line, this state park is close to the park

we visited last year on the same day.

What a beautiful array of trees and forest life lingers there.

The park has a living farm display.

There you'll find relocated original buildings

such as this privy, which has been modernized

for use by park patrons.

As soon as Lil' Guy saw this coop,

it was love at first sight.

He spent most of his time getting to know these cute chicks.

He's already offered to be in charge of the chickens

once we move onto our own homestead.

I can understand his attachment!

On site is a gin mill

located under one of the buildings.

A bale of cotton is shown to the left in this picture.

One household building features the furnishings

and equipment used in a typical historical home.

Here you can (barely) see the butter churn.

This would be my favorite part-JARS!

There is a large area for gardening,

although on this day there was only corn growing.

Although the main reason for this visit was the living farm,

there are also many walking trails to enjoy,

as well as water features to explore

through canoeing, kayaking, fishing and swimming.

We'll be back to do some hiking in the future.

I can't think of a nicer way to spend

the first day of this next year...