LIGHTtheWORLD — New Christmas Countdown!

Okay so I know it's been FOREVER since I've written on this blog. Life has been a bit insane this last year. I have aspirations to improve and do more in 2017...but no promises! However, I HAD to take a few minutes to share with you all an awesome new website with more ideas to make your Christmas more CHRIST-mas yet again! 

 First, check out this video:  

And then head over HERE for 25 days of countdown videos, scriptures, and activities to help you "Light the World" in your neck of the woods just as Christ would do if He were here! Share and enjoy! Merry CHRIST-mas!!! 

For more ideas, check out my other posts on Christ-centered Christmas under the Holidays & Traditions tab above! 
Or click HERE

Solution for a tiny mudroom

I LOVE organizing.  In fact I find it both invigorating and relaxing all at the same time.  However, I always run into the problem of not having the space for my grand visions of how beautiful everything would look in my home if I ever had the space to implement my plans!  Ring familiar to anyone?  Of course, truth be told, if I really had the space to do all I wanted, it would also involve my house being HUGE and me still having no time, energy, or desire to clean it all!  I said I love organizing, but I DO NOT share the same love for cleaning!!! :)  So, unless I'm getting a maid with this dream home of mine, I think I'll stick to the challenge of organizing small spaces yet again!  Blessings in disguise!

If you want more tips on Organizing Small Spaces go to my post: 
15 Tricks to Making the Most of Small Spaces

So, here is what I came up with last winter (yep I'm running about a year behind on posting these days! :) for our laundry room/mud room.  Which really interprets to laundry room with a wall of hooks and a tiny little space on the side for my latest addition!

I found some wire baskets in the dollar section at Target for $3 each (Wire so that when the kids put wet stuff in them it will be able to breathe and dry quickly instead of get smelly). 

Then I measured a board to fit my corner (17 1/2 X 32in.) as well as my baskets (approx. 8 1/2 X 7 X 8in. each), painted it with a couple of coats of brick red, and printed off and laminated some labels to slide in with our names.  

Then my amazing husband went to work drilling the hooks in to hang them on.  I could do it if I really wanted, but he is so willing and does such a better job with it than I would, so I gladly let him help! :)  We used little C-hooks (not sure the technical name, sorry) but you could use big screws or nails if you wanted.  I love it!  It has made winter at my house so much more bearable and we don't have their gloves and hats strewn everywhere!  The whole thing cost me less than $25 too!  Score!  Simple, yet satisfying!
 
In case your curious, here is the other wall with the coat racks between the garage door and the washer/dryer:

The top coat rack I made out of an old cupboard door (46 X 14 1/4).  Just painted it a sage green then used a brown glaze over it (brushed on lightly with a cloth on the parts I wanted antiqued)--sorry I did that a few years ago, before I started this blog and couldn't tell you step by step on how I did it!  The hooks are about 3.5in. apart and they were the most expensive part--depends on how fancy you want them!  I used birthday money and it was SO worth it!

The bottom rack we just bought from Home Depot for like $10 on sale!  These hooks have given us so much more space in our closets though and having them by the door is so much more convenient than in bedroom closets!