Making the Classroom My Own

My classroom underwent some remodeling this summer as well. That door leads to another classroom, and before the big remodel, all of the students coming to my classroom had to walk through the Geometry classroom first, disrupting their class on the way.

Here are a few pictures I took during the demo. This big pipe? It's sewage. They rerouted it along the ceiling and continued demolition.

Look how big and open it is now.

And here is how the room looks today. I write a new quote on this board every class period for the kids to discuss. This quote from Samuel Adams led the kids into a great discussion that week.

This photo is looking into the new hallway. For the whole first week of school, this new hallway was like a circus sideshow attraction. Kids would bring their friends into the room, exclaiming, "Have you seen the new hallway? It's amazing!" I don't know if it qualifies as amazing, but I think it's pretty cool.

I covered the old Geometry door with presidential campaign bumper stickers, hoping they would lead to some good discussions about the election, but so far there has been little talk of the issues and more personal attacks in the media. Here's hoping the candidates discuss something substantive so we can discuss something substantive. I won't waste my classes' time on character attacks.

Ticket Out is an assignment the class does once every other week or so, using sticky notes. As the class leaves, they stick their assignments right there on the wall.

And here's the view of my class from the back row (also known as Canada for some reason I don't fully understand). Unfortunately, the Betsy Ross flag had to come down when they redid the screen this summer, and I didn't have an iron with me the day they rehung it. I keep hoping the wrinkles will work themselves out, but I don't think it will happen now. Each flag represents one period of history that we will address this year. Do you know which each of them represents?

The class also sports two brand new maps--one US and one World. I love my maps, even though it took some fancy engineering to figure out how to hang them so they swivel out of the way when that big wall collapses to the right to create one HUGE room.

Do  you see my 1959 unabridged dictionary on the bottom left? Some of my kids take advantage of that dictionary and find a word of the day to share with the rest of us.

My classroom. It still sounds foreign, but the more time I spend in here, the more it feels like mine.

Making the Office Mine

I know I'm a bit of design geek, but getting my own office for the first time in my life sparked the decorator in me. I was so excited to make this little space my own. Little did I know in June how much time I would spend in here, and I'm glad I took the time to design it and do it right, because I have NO time for such frivolities these days.

Here are a few before pictures.

The previous US History teacher cleaned the office out quickly, and I was glad, since I had big plans for the space.

Notice the bumpy, torn carpet that couldn't be replaced.

Part of the school is a remodeled church, and my office and classroom are part of the original chapel. Since the building is 60+ years old, remnants of old electricity, strange crawl spaces, plumbing pipes and crazy angles come as part of the package. Some of the idiosyncrasies I embraced; others I shamelessly hid.

First thing I did was remove three of the four shelves lining the walls. I hate clutter, and I knew I wanted a much cleaner space visually.

I also ditched the small filing cabinet and all of the furniture left behind--time for a clean slate.

The classroom has a big teacher's desk in it as well, and I brought Eve along with me to clean out the pen/pencil drawer.

She took that job very seriously, filling three shoeboxes with writing implements, which she brought home to test and keep the prettiest ones as her payment.

Once both spaces were clean, I made a plan--a plan on graph paper and everything. (The OCD side of me loved this little piece of graph paper and carried around for much of the summer to make small adjustments and dream how it would look. I know. Design geek at work.) I stewed over that plan for more than a week before I could get keys to the office, and in the meantime, I  . . .

. . . researched pieces on the IKEA website. I didn't want to invest a ton of money, but I did want it to look clean and fresh. 

The IKEA research is when I started getting really excited, but I still didn't have the keys. I took Micah with me to IKEA anyway.

My little boy isn't that little any more. He is strong and helpful and I was glad I brought him and his muscles.

After I got the keys, the office came together a little at a time. Here's the east wall after I removed one of the shelves. I was stumped on what to do with that ugly wall of electrical stuff (only the white plug in the middle even works . . . ), and

that board covers the entry to a crawl space underneath the tiered seats in my classroom. So the board had to stay as well.

I needed a chair in the office (as per my detailed plan on the graph paper), and I knew this one that I bought it at a yard sale over ten years ago would be perfect. Originally avocado velvet, I recovered it in the yellow and red to match the library in our last house, and when we moved here, it landed in the guest room. For its newest location, I pictured it in a grey flannel, and it only took one trip to SAS to find the perfect fabric.

Here's the office when I started bringing in my stuff. The carpet has a big tear in it, but I didn't want to invest in a rug that would get beaten to death. I found this outdoor rug made of recycled water bottles, and it's perfect--a little bit of texture without being overwhelming or hard to maintain.

I needed drawers, and the red locker-style drawers work to store little stuff and as an end table for the now grey chair.

I brought in a four-drawer filing cabinet to replace the small two-drawer cabinet that was there previously. That filing cabinet already saves me from so much clutter on the desk and shelf. I love having it. The clock--I thought I'd keep it, but it was so noisy, it found a new home somewhere else at the school.

Here is the office just yesterday, now full of things that I love:

That desk wall--I measured and remeasured it, trying to work in the biggest tabletop I could fit, and this one fits like it was designed for the space, thankfully. Just a fraction of an inch bigger, and it would have been a huge mistake--I lucked out on that, since I'm not the most careful measurer.

Since I removed three extra-long shelves, I knew I needed something to hold stuff. This IKEA bookshelf is much better visually, and it holds all the stuff I need. The globe is the only thing left in the office that was there when I arrived.

It may be hard to see, but next to the globe is my crown. And yes, I do wear it. Sometime I'll have to describe the classroom simulation we've been conducting--a simulation that teaches the kids how America and its Constitution came to be. It's been fantastic. But the simulation does require a monarch, and since I'm the teacher . . . and since I'm the one with the crown . . . Yeah. It all works out.

I couldn't replace the crawl space cover, but I ordered a vintage train sign from Latvia (not because Latvia has any special significance . . . but because it was the right size and it is so cool) to give the board a little personality. I still need to mount a hook or something to prevent it from falling down all the time.

Can you see how I made the outlets disappear? I bought that table runner on clearance, staple gunned it to the low ceiling, criss-crossed it with twine, and it instantly turned into a picture wall.

And that Friberg print? Brad's mom gave it to him at least 20 years ago, and we never had a great place to hang it--until now. My students all laugh at my OCD mugs with my favorite mechanical pencils and red and blue pens.

I've had these wood files hanging in the hall outside my kitchen since we moved in, and I never really used them much. They always ended up collecting papers that I'd never look at again. I thought they might work well in my office since I teach four sections, but I was skeptical that I'd ever use them since I never had before.

Was I ever wrong. I use them all the time. They are perfect for sorting tests or as placeholders for my classes' sticky note short classroom assignments.

One of the last things I did was change the door from this . . . to this.

That's me--Mrs. Denton. Weird.

Just a reminder. Here's before:

And here's after.

Have I mentioned how much I love teaching? And the office design was just a little bonus thrill thrown in . . . just for fun.

Tomorrow I'll show you the classroom and the hall remodel.

Cozifying the Family Room Around the New Couch

Said goodbye to my old couch two weeks ago. Remember?

Since then, there's been a whole lotta sickness around here, and I haven't had time to shoot pictures and post about the replacement.

Here he is. I've decided it's a he, because it's leather and a sectional--two things I never thought I would do around here.

After months of looking and stewing and sitting and researching, I decided on the Henry sectional from West Elm. It wasn't an easy choice. Leather is much more expensive than cloth, but after looking around everywhere (and when West Elm had a 25% off sale), I made the leap--ordering online with no possibility of return. That was a scary four weeks' wait.

Once it arrived, I was thrilled. It's not as deep as some sofas, which we like. I hate sitting with my back against the cushion and feeling like I need an additional cushion behind me so my feet can touch the floor. This one is the perfect depth for that. If you like lots of throw pillows on your couch, this might not be the one for you.

When I finally convinced Brad that we needed a new sectional, he conceded on one condition: that the whole room get a little facelift as well. Now, have you ever known me to turn down an opportunity to redo a room? Uh. No.

So I redid the room. Here is how our family room looked a few months ago.

I loved some of the stuff in the room and hated some of the stuff in the room. The room is really big, and it's difficult to arrange furniture in a way that feels intimate and cozy. The couch always felt too far from the TV, but I could never find a good way to bring it closer and have it not feel weird.

The rug was always too small, the coffee table was worn out and too big, and there were too many chairs and still not enough seating. That sounds weird, but it's true. Six chairs, but they were never in a way that you could have a good conversation.

Here it is today, and we love it.

After designing and decorating the cabin, I discovered that I love a mix of old and new, with the key to making the old not feel grandma-ish is a careful balance between the two.

Most of my old finds are from . . . auction. I know this surprises you. The twin chairs are the only ones I've ever seen like this. When I bought them at auction a few years ago, one was baby blue and the other baby pink--both done in velvet (no picture, unfortunately). They were worn and outdated, but after an appointment with my upholsterer, this is how they look now:

(kind of a weird angle, but it was the best I could do) My upholsterer always carefully matches patters and lines, and these two are now identical twins. Look at the patterned fabric on the back, and you'll see what a great job he does.

The rug I'd previously had in this room was 8x10, and it never really worked, even though I tried it at every angle and in every position possible. When I saw this 9x12 rug at auction a few months ago, I knew it would be perfect. I just hoped it wouldn't go for too much.

I don't think you can tell from the pictures, but this rug is worn to the cotton threads in places. Some people may think that makes it worthless, but this worn-in feeling was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a Persian look that wasn't pink, wasn't too red, worn but no holes--and that's what I got for less than $300. You can't buy a new 9x12 rug for that price. Plus, I sold the rug I had for $100, so basically it was $200, right?

I brought the sectional forward to border the new rug, and when I did that, I created a cozy space behind the sofa. Brad doesn't understand this idea--seats behind seats--but I love sitting in that chair by the window with a book and a cup of chamomile. One chair was purchased at auction, the other at a garage sale, and both were redressed by my upholsterer.

That trunk. Oh, how I love that trunk. Built in the 19th Century, it has the original German name carved on the back. I hid all of my little kid toys and books and blocks in there. Can't wait for my grandkids to use it.

I needed a small end table next to the sectional, and this one from TJMaxx was perfect.

Have you ever seen a lamp cooler than that one? I found that at the auction as well. When I added a new red lampshade to the base, it came back to life.

My kids fight to turn on both the bottom and the top when it gets dark. Hyrum says, "Now it's all cozy!"

The other side of the couch needed a small table as well, and this one from Pottery Barn was perfect.

Still love the huge industrial fan I got at auction a few years ago (it really works and will blow you off the planet if you let it). These two little chairs were the biggest question for the room. Stay? Go? The problem is that my kids love them and move them around to watch TV all the time. I bought cool patchwork cowhide poufs to replace them, but the kids didn't like them very much. I know poufs are more modern, but this was a function over form decision, and everyone is happier this way. Even me, which surprised me.

Let's talk about this coffee table for a minute.

I knew for a long time that the old coffee table was the wrong size and shape for this room, but I held onto it for fifteen years because . . . it had a drawer that was perfect for diapers and wipes, and the top lifted up to hold all of our wooden blocks. When I found the trunk above, I knew I could get a table that didn't need to hold as much stuff as the old one (because we are finally past the daily need for diapers and wipes). I thought I wanted a marble-topped industrial-inspired table, but after thinking about my family and their penchant for eating in the family room when I'm not home and thinking I'll never find out that they spilled grape soda on the table, I reconsidered my idea. The room was leaning way too dark for my liking with the dark leather sectional and the navy rug, so I knew I wanted something lighter. When I saw this table at DownEast Home, I bought it on a whim, thinking I could bring it back later. After just one day in the room, I knew it would work well. That thing weighs a ton! It's silver-painted wood not metal, but it sure feels like it's metal! It has two drawers, one to hold all of our movies and the other to hold the copies of The Book of Mormon that we use for family scripture reading each morning.

The tablescape is really how I am right now, but the trees are definitely too tall to watch TV at all. As much as I love them there, it's time to find something else--I'm thinking my fall decorations will be able to fill that hole easily.

If you look back at the before pictures, you'll see that I used the same media cabinet that we had, which I had begun to loathe. One of the glass doors was broken off its hinge by a swinging kid, and it was way too dark for the vision I had for the room. Media cabinets aren't cheap, and I held out hope for a vintage dresser or buffet to fill the space, but I wasn't in the mood to paint or refinish or anything like that. I decided instead to remove the other cabinet door, remove the center shelves, move the media to the side (which was scary--moving all those wires and stuff and rehooking them with the hopes that everything will work the same was stressful! and we still don't have DISH upstairs. . .), and add light accessories inside and a new throw across the top.

It gave me a good spot to display some of the treasures Brad has brought home from his travels around the world--a box from Belize, a wood vase from Fiji, a jewelry box from Mozambique, and a singing bowl from India.

It's not perfect, but it was much cheaper than replacing the whole cabinet.

I thought I would need to replace the drapes, thinking they wouldn't match, but I really like them in the room--a tiny bit of pattern but mostly they add just a touch of softness around the windows.

I'm still deciding if I want to change the boxes and shelf above the TV, if I want to repaint the whole room, and what to replace the worn out carpet with. If money grew on trees . . .

For now, this room works like a dream. We love having a sectional (which I swore in the 90s I would never buy). The room works so much better, and every time I walk by, I think, "That room is cozy. I want to spend time in there."

Saying Goodbye Was Harder Than I Expected

I remember the first investment piece I bought. I was twelve years old.

I had a grand vision for my bedroom, but my budget was pretty limited--babysitting in the early 80s didn't pay nearly what it pays today. I knew I had to keep my brown dresser (which I liked) and my orange bookshelf (which I didn't). In those days before Pinterest and Amazon.com, Kmart was my go-to inspiration place, mostly because I could ride my bike there if I got permission. While roaming the aisles one day, I found it--a 100% polyester full-size bedspread, printed with brown and yellow flowers on a white synthetic-shiny background. This would be just the thing to tie together all of my stuff. I couldn't wait to get it home, make my bed in the fancy way--pillows under the bedspread and tucked carefully around to emphasize their place at the head of the bed, with a small blue flannel pillow in the center made by my brother to fulfill the dual purpose of Christmas gift and scouting requirement. I was proud. It was beautiful.

I have made do with hand-me-down pieces and thrift store finds most of my life, but I will never forget the first real investment pieces we bought for our family--twin tan chenille couches with matching sets of navy and red throw pillows. We were struggling with infertility at the time, and I was desperate for something to fill the void in my life. Between the time we ordered them and the day they were delivered, I had discovered that I was pregnant with Lily Jane. It was a good day.

Those two Rowe couches survived everything. Three different houses--one room was barn red, one was butter yellow, and the third a handpicked greige in our dream home. So many different decorating schemes. I don't know how many combinations of throw pillows have lived shorter lives than these couches. Boys jumping and wrestling and building forts. The couches weathered my traditional, shabby chic, and transitional moods with ease. I never tired of their classic lines, their color, or their fabric. Even after sixteen years of the hardest use furniture could be expected to withstand, that upholstery looked great. The pieces did rattle when moved around--pens, pencils, Legos, Goldfish, errant coins, and small toys had found entrance but no escape from the dark recesses inside.

Two years ago, Brad was wrestling with Ben and when the two of them landed on the couch, the frame broke. That couch was placed on the curb and quickly found a new home somewhere in the Valley of the Sun. I didn't think much of it then.

I held onto its twin as long as I could. On occasion, I would long for a new couch, but when I looked for a replacement, I never found anything I liked better. 

Then, it happened. 

Sometime in June, the frame of the remaining couch also buckled under the extreme living conditions that are the Denton Sanatorium.

I don't know who or how or what, but the couch was no longer salvageable. Every time visitors would sit on it, I would warn them that the middle would suck them in and escape would be difficult. Some took my warnings to heart, others tempted fate and learned the ugly truth for themselves as they grunted, struggled, then begged for assistance to stand. I told Brad that it really was time to replace the couch, and he balked for a few months, traveled around Asia for a while, thought about it some more, until I finally convinced him that it was time. A new couch was ordered, and we waited.

But it wasn't easy taking that couch to the curb. When the kids left for school on the day of delivery, I told them a new couch would come while they were gone. Hyrum, panic on his face, asked, "What are you going to do with this couch? I LOVE this couch!" I told him I was giving it away, and that offended him. Deeply. "Mom, you should AT LEAST sell it! Like for $50. It's worth a lot."

Didn't know he had such an attachment to the couch, because $50 in his eyes is a ton of money.

I could hardly look as it sat there on the curb, one arm cover lost and the other naked and lonely, begging someone to take it home and love it. I felt like I was giving away something precious--not one of my children, more like a beloved family pet. Instead of leaving it there alone on the curb, rejected and dejected, I pinned a sign to its shoulder, like a mom sitting at the grocery store surrounded by melancholy children and a cardboard box full of mewing kittens:

FREE to a good home

Sixteen years of our family room memories centered around that couch. The perfect napping couch. The perfect nursing couch. The perfect story-reading couch. The perfect snuggling couch. The perfect TV watching couch. The perfect fort-building couch. The perfect scripture reading couch. The perfect family couch.

I left the couch on the curb and returned a few hours later.

It was gone.

Cabin Is Finished--Exterior

Final post on the cabin--the exterior.

Brad wanted the exterior to be the lowest maintenance possible--metal roof, concrete siding that looks like weathered wood, aluminum windows, and instead of a wood deck, more concrete. It all tied together perfectly.

The covered porch is divided into four seating areas. On the far right side next to the barbecue are four picnic benches that convert into two picnic tables. I forgot to photograph them, but you can find them here. We have used them every time we've been at the cabin, and they are fantastic. Hard to put together, but they convert from bench to table and back again instantly, and they are both sturdy and lightweight. I can't recommend them enough.

Remember these trunks that I used as a night stand in my boys' room? They were part of a lot I bought at auction, all pieces monikered as part of Robert Mazet's property. Also part of that lot was this red industrial cart, which mimics the window trim. I wanted rocking chairs that looked a little modern but still worked in a cabin setting.

Rug, Wayfair. Pillows, Costco. Rocking chairs, Target.com

If you look in the picture above, you can see the antique fencing I bought at a flea market last spring. It's now the back of everyone's favorite place to relax. 

It's in the prime corner of the porch. View of the Rim and down the driveway and into the living room. Best place to catch the breeze and catch a few winks.

It swings like a cradle, not so much up and down but a gentle, soothing back and forth motion that sends sleepy messages to the brain. My upholsterer covered a twin mattress with grey Sunbrella fabric, and it should resist the light sun and rain that could hit it occasionally.

Home pillow, HomeGoods. Striped pillow, IKEA rugs converted to pillow. Back pillows and throw, IKEA.

This is the main outside conversation area. and the morning light makes it quite inviting.

Wood trunk and black chairs and cushions, IKEA. Rug, Wayfair.

I bought this church pew at an auction a long, long time ago. I knew I'd find a place for it, and the plan all along was to place it in the kitchen (against the wall where the chalkboard is now) for extra seating when the house is full, but the space ended up being just a smidgen too narrow and the pew wouldn't work. It found a perfect home on the patio. It's protected from most of the elements because it sits so deep under the porch. I do think I will move it into the garage during the winter.

I initially thought I would hang a dinner triangle out here, but when I found this cute brass bell at HomeGoods, I changed my mind. I know the kids will be ringing it all the time, but I don't mind.

That's it.

Living room
Kitchen
Guest rooms
Bathrooms and laundry
Loft and office
Master and bunk rooms
Exterior

What are your favorites? Mine, in no particular order:
Map wall
Antique barn door
Library shelves and ladder
Tree painting
The overall feel of the living room
The view from my bed

I know I said top five, but it was still hard to limit it to six. This project has been such a joy for me, and although I'm a little blue that it's over, I can't wait to start making memories in this place with my family surrounding me, for generations to come.