Tackling the Garage
Tackling the garage was a little more intense than I envisioned. While I have visions of a space similar to the one below, alas, my reality looks much different. An entirely new magazine-worthy space is not what I have but, I did clear out the clutter, implement a system I can use, and clean up our garage. Just as I tell my kids, focus on “progress not perfection”.
Start in a circle
I love following GoCleanCo ‘s feed. She gives an abundance of cleaning motivation. Feeling overwhelmed at the task of the garage, I reminded myself of Sarah’s advice, “move in a circle”. Beginning by moving in a circle helps keep you on track. I began in a circle in the garage and quickly realized I would need to narrow down my task. Therefore, I chose the storage room as my main focus.
Our garage like many others I am sure, houses not only my car, but our camper, camping gear, bikes, Jeff’s tools, tool boxes, toys, my children’s keepsakes, and seasonal decor. The main portion of our garage holds items that I would classify as “Jeff’s”. The storage room built within our garage I can easily identify as mainly “my stuff”.
A progress shot. Pulling all the items out in order to sort and clean. Pull Everything Out
After I swept and cleaned what I could in the garage, I started working in a circle inside the storage room: pulling out one storage container at a time. Being able to go through each container allows me to see what needs to be culled and tossed and what items I still use. Identifying labels on the fronts of each container helps to easily identify what I need when I go into the storage room throughout the year.
Organize Like Items
Once you have worked in a circle, pulled all items out, then organize like items. I had no clue how much Christmas decor I had. My fall decor was lost amongst all the Christmas. There are three main categories within my storage room: Christmas decor, fall decor, and keepsakes. (See how I recently decorated my home for fall here.) Once the front of each tote was labeled (I had to skip the stack right next to the wall due large Christmas decorations. When Jeff helps me get all Christmas decor down this year, new labels and totes will be assigned to this stack), I placed them in stacks together with labels facing out. One problem I had been running into was my labeling was on top of the totes. I had no way of knowing what was inside unless I took everything down from its stack – so time consuming!
Totes are neatly stacked with labels on the front. What I’ve Learned
From my garage experience, I believe my take away is: there is always some cleaning and/or decluttering to be done in your home. While I would love to be able to have all matching storage totes as seen below, I am super pumped that I was able to go through three boxes that I had yet to unpack from our last year’s move. Cleaning out this garage space brings peace to my mind. The ability to walk into this room and easily identify what tote holds what I need is a huge win in my book. Maybe future garage projects will include swapping out mismatched totes with matching ones.
Now to decide, how much Christmas decor is too much Christmas decor???
How about you? Do you clean out your garage regularly? What tips have you found helpful? Let me know if my life lessons in tackling the garage have been beneficial to you! Including some posts from women who have organized their garages like professionals hopefully provides some inspiration for you to tackle your garage!
What to Do and Bring When Camping
Growing up, I believe I remember camping exactly one time, maybe two. Trips as a child were often only to visit extended family not for the pure enjoyment of travel. Fast forward to married life and a husband who loves to camp. By association, I am loving it too. We have camped in tents, pop ups, fifth wheels, and bumper-pull campers. Currently, we own a pop up camper. To fully appreciate camping, there is some preparation that needs to take place. Follow along in this post to gain knowledge on what to do and bring when camping.
Camper
After selling our last camper, we have camped mainly in tents. Due to our desire to be outdoors but not totally roughing it, we purchased a pop up camper towards the end of last fall. With all the quick-fix and easy application materials available in today’s market, camper renovations are wildly popular. This Instagram feed is full of camper reno inspiration! To join in the fun, I have given our camper a little refresh. In order to fully appreciate it, you need to view the original look of our camper. Thankfully, there was nothing wrong with our camper and it was maintained by the previous owners in near perfect condition. Aesthetic changes were all that was needed for it to truly become ours.
The overall appeal was low when we originally purchased our pop up camper
.Our camper can sleep six comfortably. One pop out side holds a king size bed, the other pop out side holds a full size bed, the dining table converts to a twin bed, and the L-shape couch converts to a twin size bed. Since we do most of our cooking and hanging out outside our camper, once we updated the look, we keep all its beds ready for sleeping.
Now, for what activities we like to participate in while camping, places we like to go, and what products I believe make camping more enjoyable, read on. I’ll intermingle pictures of our updated camper throughout.
Our camper looking from the full size bed towards the king size bed. Activities
On our most recent camping trip, we went tubing at Big Wills Creek Campground. Any type of outdoor activities multiply the fun of camping. Fortunately, our campsite was situated next to the creek and made for an easy commute from camper to tubing trail. Other activities we enjoy while camping are: sitting around the campfire, riding bikes, making s’mores, playing card games, and hiking nature trails. When visiting a campground, check out their website or their front office. Plenty of activities on site or nearby will be advertised. Many campgrounds include playgrounds, community activities, and nature programs available to participate in.
The left side view of our camper. Campgrounds
In addition to Big Wills Creek, we have visited several campgrounds nearby that do not require long hours on the road. Our longest road trip to go camping thus far has been to Grayton Beach State Park. The good news of owning a camper? Air conditioning! I’m uncertain I would camp anywhere without a little air conditioning running in the background (and a heater in the winter). Grayton Beach has some of the best trails to go biking due to its connection to all 30A communities.
Tannehill State Park is another favorite campground of mine as well as Guntersville State Park. While Tannehill has a beautiful creek and a cool trade day once a month, plenty of deer can be seen typically at Lake Guntersville. Obviously, Alabama campgrounds are what I am most familiar with; however, your vehicle can take you anywhere you want to camp.
Looking to the right of our front door of the camper. What to Bring
Time and experience has helped me accumulate a nice little “Must-Have” list for camping. I am all too happy to share my knowledge with you. Here are nine items that I feel make our camping experience a little more enjoyable. These items are linked in my LiketoKnow.it link included in the right sidebar.
Must-Have List for Camping
- Solo Stove – Jeff received this for his Father’s Day gift this year and I must say, I am loving it! It is light weight, easy to get a fire going, and once it is cooled off and emptied, it can be carried in its own carrying case. Perfect for a cozy campfire or some impromptu s’mores.
- Shoe Rack – Camping attracts a lot of dirt and debris inside a camper. To reduce the amount of dirt, I do not let my crew wear shoes inside the camper. Instead, shoes are housed neatly on a two-tier shoe rack.
- Outdoor Rug – Isn’t it rough to step out of your camper onto the ground with no shoes on? Good question! Me and my crew do not have to experience a rough or dirty ground when we come out of the camper and put our shoes on because we have a nice outdoor rug placed in front of our door.
- Mini Fridge – Some people say this item is cheating on camping and if that is true, I am totally okay with it. Jeff picked up a mini fridge at Bargain Hunt and at first I thought that was crazy because we have a tiny one inside the camper. Boy, was I wrong! This mini fridge has been amazing. Jeff simply plugs it up and sets it right outside our camper. It has been the biggest help with meal prep and storage.
- Stringed Lights – You know how amazing it is at Christmas time when you can drive around and see all the beautiful lights on display? I’m telling you, you can experience the same thing in a campground. Each camper, RV, and tent seems to have its own calling card when it comes to outdoor lights. We like to string one set of our lights inside our pop up tent where we house our table and another strand of lights around the awning of our camper. I’ve linked up an extra long set so you might want to get a shorter length but I think the long string looks better.
- Folding Table – A totable, folding table comes in handy while camping. We mainly use ours to house our microwave, toaster, and coffee maker. Hey, we never said we were roughing it while camping!
- Mini Keurig – As mentioned above, we place a coffee maker on our folding table. Jeff purchased a mini-Keurig for me when I was teaching a couple of years ago. Now that I am back at home with the kids, we use the mini-Keurig on our camping trips. I love it!
- Plastic Totes with lids – Storage totes are a huge help while camping. I like to use the ones that have a lock on the sides. We place storage totes under our camper in order to clear up space inside the camper. Non-pantry items such as ziplock bags, citronella candles, marshmallow skewers, tablecloths, aluminum foil, and so on are stored in one tote, another tote holds pantry items that we do not want racoons or other critters getting into, and another tote holds extra bedding. Thankfully, our camper has storage under all the seating areas to hold cooking utensils, small appliances, pots, and pans.
- Wedding Tent – Why my husband and I call our outside tent a wedding tent is beyond me. Maybe it’s because it looks like one of those tents you would see at an outdoor wedding. Jeff sets up this pop up tent right beside our camper and we call it our “living room.” It holds our folding table, small appliances, and camp chairs for us to sit around and hang out.
- ****BONUS**** I did not list this item on my LiketoKnow.it link but one item that Jeff purchased this year that has been a game changer for the middle aged woman that I am is… a portable potty. This may sound unpleasant; however, a portable toilet keeps you from trekking across a campground in the middle of the night to find a bath house.
Check out my LiketoKnow.it link in the right sidebar. If you have never attempted to camp, I hope this blog post has peaked your interest. If you are already a camper then I hope I have given you some ideas on how to improve your camping experience. Did I miss anything? Is there another facet of camping you would like to know more about, comment below. I would love to hear from you! And if you would like to read more about our travels, check out my blog post here for our recent trip to 30A!
5 Ways to Add Touches of Fall to Your Home
Changes in the seasons is such an exciting time. The anticipation of what a new season brings welcomes joy into my heart and home. Now fall just happens to be my absolute FAVORITE season of all. I love the weather, the color, the activities that fall brings. While my taste and aesthetic has changed as I’ve aged, my love for this season has not. I want to share with you five ways to add touches of fall to your home.
1. Select a Color Theme
Taking the time to peruse Pinterest or Instagram will give you a wealth of examples on fall scenery and décor. Notice what your eye is drawn to. Do you prefer yellows to oranges? Do you like additions of color or is a neutral palette (check out this stunning fall display) more your style? Decide what you like then implement those colors in your home.
As I age, I am learning to not be sidetracked by anything that catches my eye (i.e. signs that have the word “fall” in it) and am cultivating decorative pieces that keep in the color scheme or theme of my home. With that being said, I am not made of money! I cannot run out and buy all new items that hit the shelves. Learning what items I need to get rid of and what I need to make due with until I can purchase something new, has been a great decorating lesson. Pausing to consider which colors I am drawn to and keeping those few colors in mind that I truly enjoy, helps me pump the brakes on trends that may quickly go out of style. For example, last year, blush was a big color used for fall. This year I am not seeing that color as much. Admittedly, I have collected more pieces that include the color burnt orange than I realized. Now I am focusing my future purchases on more subtle fall colors.
2.Determine Which Areas of Your Home to Decorate
Your budget may come into play when determining which areas of your home you want to decorate. Budget may not be an issue; however, selecting high traffic areas to decorate will prevent your home from looking like the fall season has thrown up in it. Not the best visual but hopefully you get my point. By taking the time to think about what areas of your home you want to decorate, you can be intentional about the items you love that are placed on display. In my home, I decorate the foyer, living room, and den with a few signs mixed in the kitchen and dining room. If you only have enough decorating items for one or two spaces, then make them count! Select the areas of your home that will be seen the most. You want people to enjoy the beauty of your fall décor.
3. Use Symmetry
Decorating a space such as a mantle or a console table, requires a little bit of math. Let me explain. Decide where you want the eye to travel. Do you want an equal, balanced look? Symmetrical placement of lamps, pumpkins, or candles can keep a balanced look. What if you want the eye to be drawn to one side? Asymmetrical placement will do the trick. For example, on the console table below, the height of the arrangements trend to the right. Check out this space filled with fall décor inspiration. In that Instagram example, notice how the heights of the floral arrangements and candles give a balanced look.
4. The Power of 3’s
Have several canisters but not certain what to do with them? Cluster them in groups of three. The power of 3’s has a strong appeal in decorating. Different items can become cohesive simply by grouping together by 3’s. In the image below, objects with a similar color scheme look better clustered together in a group of 3. When looking for inspiration, see if you notice groups of 3’s.
5. Use a Variety of Texture
A variety of textures in your décor, draws in the eye. Texture breaks up any monotony that a monochromatic palette might create. Texture in decorating invokes emotion. An invitation of coziness and atmosphere can be created through the powerful display of textures. Blankets, architectural pieces, natural elements such as wood, all add texture to your space.
With September underway, now is the perfect time to plan and start decorating your home for fall. Take the time to incorporate these 5 ways to add touches of fall to your home! Which tip will you use? For more information and happenings in The Helms House, check out my home page.
Dinner is Served!
Guess who’s back? Back again. School is back! The fast pace, steady rhythm of back-to-school routines are here. Family meal planning can be a challenge. Needing some inspiration for meal time? Does the thought of getting all the little people to all the places they need to be then starting dinner overwhelm you? Let me offer you some assistance through a few meal planning ideas. Making quick and easy meals helps me keep the ball rolling so to speak. With sports practices, music lessons, church, and community events; long preparation meals are just not feasible for my crew. Getting supper out and on the table should be as easy as 1, 2, 3! For instance, my 3 step process is listed in the next paragraph. On a side note….do you call it dinner or supper? I tend to lean towards the word “supper”.
3 easy steps for Family Meal Planning
- Make a list of your family’s favorite meals and search Pinterest for some quick meal ideas.
- Consult your calendar as to what events are coming up and how much time you have to get a meal on the table.
- Don’t be afraid to utilize your crockpot because it can be a huge time saver. Throwing ingredients in a crockpot in the morning then walking in the door in the evening to a deliciously smelling meal is a wonderful treat!
Some nights dinner needs to be just quick and easy. Over on @thehelmshouse_ , I have been sharing several accounts that are highlighting easy to fix meals to help families transition into the back-to-school swing. I have enjoyed learning what other moms are making as their go-to quick meal. Mine is Chicken Tortilla Soup. I can throw all ingredients into the crockpot and walk away. It is SO good.
Family favorite meals
Some family favorites in our house are: orange chicken and rice; verde salsa chicken enchilladas; the chicken tortilla soup I mentioned above; and lasagna (although it is not a quick meal unless you use a crockpot recipe). I am also completely game for finding local restaurants that have a kids-eat-free night. Additional quick and easy dinner options: first, check your local church – ours offers meals on Wednesday nights for cheap; and also, stop by a ready made store front. Meals by Misty is a great little shop near my home that has freezer meals and on-the-go meals ready made for customers to swing by and pick up to feed their families. With just a little planning, you can have nice list of meals to eat for the week night.
A crockpot can be your best friend! Consulting your calendar helps in knowing which nights are best to eat out, grab a ready made meal, or use your crockpot. For instance, instead of stressing as to what I can have fixed in time to eat before Wednesday night church activities, my crew is going to eat at church. The cost is relatively inexpensive (somewhere around $5 a person). Another example, knowing the football game is on Friday night may help me decide to throw a pizza in the oven and scoot out the door in time to make it to kickoff. In my house, during the week, there are two nights currently that have evening sports practices. For those nights, a crockpot meal comes in handy! Read below to add a quick meal to your recipe list.
An easy crockpot meal you can make now!
Pinterest has been my best resource for finding crockpot meals. Many mamas are willing to share recipes that help feed their family on a time efficient schedule which in turn, helps you create an easy meal. One of my favorite meals – Chicken Tortilla Soup can be cooked in the crockpot. First, start with your ingredients: 4-5 frozen chicken breasts, chicken broth, taco seasoning, a can of washed black beans, a can of whole kernel corn, and a can of Rotel. Secondly, dump all ingredients into your crockpot, then make certain your broth covers your chicken breasts. Follow up by adding any water necessary to reach your desired liquid amount. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. When serving your soup, feel free to add tortilla chips, jalapenos, shredded cheese, and sour cream. Tada, an easy family meal!
A yummy bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup. To sum this up, take a little time to make a list, look at your calendar, and pull out that crockpot! Family meal planning can be as easy as easy as 1, 2, 3!
Back to School
Today was my children’s first day of school. I am uncertain if I have ever been more apprehensive about a first day then I have been over today. A post pandemic world is definitely worthy of being a little nervous; however, my concerns have not really been on health issues – at least not physical health issues. This year marks another milestone for us – two kids in high school and one in elementary school. While I am familiar with night-before-school jitters, this go around I had some of my kids experiencing some real sadness and fear over a new school year. Needless to say, I have spent much of my day in prayer over the peace in my kids’ hearts.
Open House for our youngest Three areas come to mind when I start contemplating a new school year: clothes, lunches, and routines. I am obsessed lately with Jessica Woo and her bento box creations! My kids laugh at me trying to replicate her intricate lunches. And to be real, most of my kids’ lunches are lunchables. These three areas help me to get a clear picture of how I want the school year to run.
When contemplating a new school year and getting your kiddos ready, consider their clothing options at home. What clothes are in their closet and/or chest of drawers? Is anything too small, stained, or damaged? Do you allow your kids to buy new shoes for the school year? What is your local school’s dress code? Once you have considered these questions, go through your child’s closet and/or chest of drawers and get rid of what will not be worn. Take the time to sort and organize your child’s clothing in order to readily see what you have and what you need. Once you are able to assess your child’s clothing needs, shop for the items to fill the gaps in his/her closet. I like to hang my children’s clothing by color order from light to dark in their closets. Do not forget to pay attention to your local school’s dress codes when shopping for clothing. Adding some new items to their wardrobe makes my children look forward to a new school year.
Lunches seem to be a hot topic in my household: what’s for lunch, how much should be packed in a lunch, who wants hot lunch and who wants a packed lunch? Keeping three kids well fed and happy is a tall order. Shopping in bulk at places like Costco or shopping the buy one, get one sales at Publix helps keep lunch costs low. Lunch items that are a big hit for us are: lunchables, yogurt, fruit, peanut butter crackers, beef jerky, and chips. For this year, I want to include more foods and possible leftovers from our suppers into the kids’ lunchboxes. Prep time is key to success when dealing with packed lunches. Clear a space (i.e. kitchen island), gather clean storage/food containers, and pack lunches all together. Filling lunchboxes the night before makes for smooth school day mornings. Don’t forget refillable water bottles!
.First day of school pic When heading back to school, keep in mind the power of routines. Routines help establish structure and stability in your children’s lives. Routines allow your children to know what to expect. In getting ready for each week of school, Sunday evening is the time my children and I set apart their outfits for the entire week of school. Knowing what outfit is for each day eliminates a lot of wasted time on busy mornings. A set time for departure on school mornings keeps me from yelling and hurrying my kids out the door. Another routine that we try to adhere to is keeping our car rides to school discipline-free. This means if there is correction to be made, I need to do that at home in a one on one environment, not in the car in front of all the kids. An older lady I attended church with years ago shared this jewel with me. The jewel of keeping your morning car rides discipline-free means those car rides can be a time of sharing and fellowship with one another. Worship music is on the radio and often times I am able to pray with my kids before I drop them off to school (and some of those times are my kids praying for my road rage – ha!). Before I implemented a set departure time and an intentional approach to not correcting my kids in the car ride, I would often find myself flustered and frustrated by the time I dropped my kids off at school. Now that we are a couple of months away from adding another driver in our household, I am thankful for these times of riding with the kids and getting to know them better to and from school.
However your school year finds you, I hope you are able to glean some helpful tips from these three areas I discussed: clothing, lunches, and routines. What tips do you have for a successful school year? Comment below with your tips and tricks.
Beach Vacay on 30A
Life is filled with many different seasons and our vacation 2021 proved to be another new season of life. We told our 15 year old and our 14 year old they could each invite a friend with us on our vacation. So enters the season of young adulthood. I remember as a teen thinking that inviting a friend to summer vacation meant you were practically grown. Our crew plus two made it to my favorite beach local…Highway 30A.
Beach fun with friends! Jeff and I were introduced to 30A around 2010. Our first 30A trip was spent at Grayton Beach State Park. 30A is a collection of seaside communities that focuses on small town feels with beautiful architcture that can all be reached by bicycle. The communities included are: Grayton Beach, Watercolor, Seaside, Seagrove, Watersound, Seacrest, Alys Beach, and Rosemary Beach.
While I feel there are a variety of activities to participate in and reasons to fall in love with the communities of 30A, I will readily admit that its popularity has greatly increased over the last few years. Grayton Beach and its tiny spot on the map, remains my favorite 30A community.
Due to its popularity, booking a stay on 30A early is important in securing the best deal. I enjoy staying in a private house or small condo while at the beach. Vacation Rental By Owner (VRBO) has been our best rental route when traveling. AirBnB is another vacation rental site along with one that I have just been introduced to, Vacasa. I do not have any experience with Vacasa. My best tip for booking through these sites? READ THE REVIEWS – and not just the first three. I have found great information about a property, whether good or bad from the reviews. Our July 2021 trip was booked in January 2021. We stayed in the Beachwood Villas in Seagrove, Florida.
Activities abound on 30A with a wide range of prices. For my crew, budget friendly activities make my heart happy. I like to sprinkle free activities throughout our vacation week. The beauty of this Florida shoreline is hard to beat. Emerald waters and white sands make for a beautiful landscape. Walks along the beach, sitting and laying out by the water, and crab hunting at night provides lots of squeals of delight, laughter, and relaxation. Crab hunting provides squeals of terror and delight! One of my favorite activities? Bike rides. All 30A communities are connected by bike and/or walking trails. You can bike for hours if you want. You can bike to eat, bike to the grocery store, or simple bike to ramble. During the summer months, each 30A community provides free activities: children’s theater, family movie nights, and live music. 30a.com is a great resource for calendar events.
When looking to spend some money, Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin is a fun location. It hosts a wealth of shops, activities, and restaurants to enjoy. One night of our recent vacation was spent at the Gran Maze in the Coconut Creek Family Fun park. While the maze did not take long for our teenagers to navigate, we had LOTS of fun and laughs here!
Food makes any vacation better. In keeping with a relatively budget friendly meal plan, we alternated between eating at our condo and going out to eat. Rosemary Beach’s Farmer’s Market provides a wealth of vendors who have wonderfully yummy food! It’s Tamale Time! has been a fan favorite with our family for a couple of years now. We’ve cooked these tamales for two different beach vacations and they are amazing. We did not get them this time, but Alligator Pear chips are really good! For this trip, we got some super tasty jalapeno and cilantro hummus from a vendor at the market but I have totally forgotten the name. This makes me upset because the hummus was so good. Goatfeathers Seafood Market steamed large shrimp to go along with the corn and potatoes we boiled to complete our shrimp boil one night. Honestly, some nights after being out at the beach all day, we simply ate frozen pizza and cheese bread. One of my best decisions I made for this trip was to order our groceries and sundries via Walmart Grocery Pickup from a Walmart near our vacation rental. The key is to place the order 5-7 days BEFORE your arrival date to ensure the day and time are available for grocery pickup. These time slots fill up quickly, so plan ahead!
PIctures at sunset. As far as eating out, Seaside has a variety of restaurants and eateries surrounding its amphitheater. We like Pickles, a little burger, fries, and shake joint and the cool Modica Market. The market is a grocery store that is quirky and has everything you could want for a quick meal. Order a sandwich and a huge slice of cake to eat while watching a play at Seaside’s Amphitheater. The Hub at 30A is located between Watersound and Seacrest. This is another one-stop-shop for all things fun. A variety of shops and eateries surround a fun green space which boasts a large screen in the center. Family Movie Nights are hosted here throughout the summer. Our party of 7 chose supper from: Duos All American Eats; Local Smoke: Southern Pride BBQ; and Hooked: Sea to Table. There are a few more restaurants on site to choose from.
So much variety in such an easily-accessible environment makes 30A my beach destination of choice! Did I miss anything? Comment below with any questions or tips you would want to include in your trip to 30A.
Updating Our Launch Pad
August 2020 welcomed us into a new home. Let me be clear: a new-to-us home. The area we moved to has many mid-century builds. Fortunately our 1960’s ranch style home had been purchased by a contractor, remodeled, and placed on the market. We purchased our home from said contractor. While I appreciate the new kitchen and updated bathrooms and lighting, the many tiny closets are not completely appreciated.
I chose to turn one of those tiny closets into a Launch Pad. What is a launch pad you say? A launch pad is a place where you house everything you need to readily launch yourself out of your house. Shoe holders, purses, backpacks, keys, may be just a few examples of what my family houses in its launch pad. Like the picture above, our entryway held a small closet in its space. Just a couple of simple changes transformed this space into our family’s launch pad.
First, my husband removed the door and its hardware to this area’s closet. My husband removed the wardrobe bar inside the closet and affixed a decorative board with hooks to hold our backpacks and purses. I applied spackling to the holes left by the door’s hardware. After allowing time for the spackling to dry, I sanded off the rough edges and painted the door frame (and an interior return vent) the color of our trim: Sherwin Williams’ Pure White.
To make the space feel functional and aesthetically pleasing, I placed three baskets from Walmart’s Better Homes and Garden line on the top shelf (Mine are an older version. Here is the current version available at Walmart.) These baskets are not only a pretty addition but they serve to hold my extra bed linens. Our shoe baskets came from Target and hold the shoes we tend to kick off as soon as we come in the door.
While most people would call this space a mud room, due to its small size, I felt launch pad was a more appropriate title. This is the area that has what we need to launch our day. Toni Hammersly from A Bowl Full of Lemons first gave me the idea of naming this space launch pad. All our supplies needed to head out the door are housed in one space meeting the needs of my busy crew!
Do you have a space such as this designated in your home? If not, would you convert a closet into a Launch Pad? Let me know in the comments. I look forward to hearing from you.
~Ashley
Welcome!
Hi! My name is Ashley. I am a stay-at-home mom to three kids (our fourth one has already left the nest). I am wife to Jeff, and we have been married 17 years. Our children are ages 20 (my stepson), 15, 14, and 9. We also have three dogs! I cannot believe we have three dogs: a Mal-shi, Labradoodle, and a Poodle. They keep life interesting.
My background is in special education. While I have recently worked part time as a special education instructor, a majority of the last fifteen years have been spent as a stay-at-home mom – my true passion.
Cullman has been called home for the last 14 years; however, 2020 brought a us to a new town. We’ve recently moved and are setting up house in Homewood, Alabama. With a child in elementary school and two in high school, we are on the go often and a big move in the middle of a pandemic is not for the faint of heart.
After spending time on Instagram, this blog is a great addition to add depth and detail to my Instagram squares. You can follow along in my day to day life at The Helms House on Instagram. My goal is to share my home and family with you.
