Laundry Closet Update

This is going to be the most tricked out Laundry Closet when I'm done!!

I decided on a wall paint color, and it just happened to be the same color that I used on my kitchen cabinets: Lima Bean green from the Martha Stewart collection. I had a whole gallon left, so I had plenty to do this small space. I ended up needing only one coat, which was a real treat when compared with the rest of the house!

It was a bit of a pain to pull the washer and dryer out because of the unmodern (and newly discovered, not up to code) hook-ups. We were a little too scared to completely disconnect everything, so I had to work around them in the very small space. As long as the laundry closet always remains a laundry closet, I don't think anyone will ever notice!

I picked up this 36" wire shelf from Target for around $10, and it's just large enough to fit all of our laundry detergents on, plus a little garbage can for dryer lint.

There are a few more things I want to add to this closet to make the most of it:

I need someplace pretty to dry my diaper covers. Right now, they're clipped onto the cabinet door handles with clothespins. I found this drying rack on Ballard Designs, but I don't think Chris would allow me $90 for such a small space! I have lots of ideas as to how to create one, but I'm still working out logistics.

I would love to be able to fit in a fold-out ironing board too, but the wall that has the outlets is the same wall that has the lightswitch. I don't know where I would position the board. The total length of the closet is 6 feet, so would it be too far of a stretch for the cord to place it on the opposite wall from the outlet?

Also, I want to hang a shower curtain rod right behind the bifold doors. This will give a place to hang coat hangers when the doors are open.

Now...if only updates to a laundry room would add $10k to our home value! :-)

Forward with a plan...

Although I no longer work at the Bank, I still do work outside my home. In order to help make up for the loss of my salary, I now take care of 2 young toddlers, as well as my son, at their house. I know the boys' mother through my employment at the Bank, but her husband works second shift and there is a good 6 hours of overlap when they're each at their respective jobs. This means that I get to spend my mornings at home, cuddling with my baby, and doing my housework.

I used to wonder at the people with piles and piles of dirty laundry, asking myself why they didn't just set a day each week and get it done. When it was just my husband and I, we sat aside Sunday afternoons for our "house time." We went to church, then to the grocery store, then did 2 loads of laundry, and finished any other errands we had for the week. Add a baby into our mix, whom we have chosen to cloth diaper, and we just added another 3 loads of laundry per week! We don't have a very efficient washer or dryer, so clothes take 2 hours to complete and diapers take 3 hours to complete the wash cycles. We didn't really have 12 hours to set aside for laundry on any given day. We've slowly been adding to the pile of "someday I'll get to that" dirty laundry.

There's something about babies that inspires one to be a better person, to lead a better life, to bring the focus back to the home. I have been trying to persuade myself to do a gigantic sweep of my house and fix everything I don't like. This has proved too daunting of a task for me. I need to start small and concentrate on the small victories. I will be prideful of what I accomplish and not focus on how much I have yet to do.

My prideful moment? I set a schedule for doing laundry. This is the only addition to my morning routine in a VERY long time, and I'm excited at how smoothly it fits in! It also frees up some of our weekend time.

Monday: wash diapers

Tuesday: wash my clothes

Wednesday: wash Benjamin's clothes

Thursday: wash diapers

Friday: wash Chris's clothes

Now, to continue on my YAY! LAUNDRY! moment, I want to clean up and decorate my laundry closet. Really, that's all it is: a closet. The washer and dryer take up all the floor space, and I have 2 hanging cabinets, only 1 1/2 of which are useable as they conceal heating duct work. There used to be a shelf attached to the wall, but it fell down and I've never replaced it.

Here's what it looks like now (obviously it's diaper day!):

So what should I do with it?

I love the canvases that my friend Jenny painted here.

I'm totally going to paint the walls (and the cabinets????) like they did here.

Any other ideas for me? Colors?