Laundry Room

We've been busy at the Chapman shouse this past week. We kicked off the weekend by celebrating the union of one of our favorite ARMY couples. Saturday I attended our first bridal shower. We are so thankful to Joel's side of the family for helping us "stock our pantry"! We have propane and food now, no more excuses for me not to cook.

We had company over Saturday night and then winded down from all our partying by staining our stairs Sunday after church (well, Joel stained and I observed :) The stairs turned out really nice and I am excited to have that completed. (Stairs reveal post soon.)

Wedding planning is in full swing around here. Last night we held a "meeting of the minds" gathering at the shouse to hammer out last minute details. I have been neglecting my laundry and Joel's, however I really love our laundry room area. It makes laundry a little more bearable.

Joel and I decided to upgrade from the washer and dryer we had. I think I went through 4 used washer/dryer sets in college. When you live with girls with lots of hair, I think it must be really hard on washers and dryers. We splurged for the front load washer and dryer and I love them. Our cabinet guy, Matt (Integrity Woodworks in Crane, MO) made us a custom pedestal for the washer and dryer set so they set off the ground a bit and provided extra storage below.

There is a divider that keeps things from falling too far back behind the washer and dryer. I found the baskets at Lowes. They hold detergent, my iron and other odds and ends. The pink light fixture in the laundry room came out of my great-great grandmothers home. My grandma thinks it's at least 75 years old. I feel pretty honored to now give it life in our new home.

On the opposite side of the washer and dryer, we had custom shelving put in to hold all of our small appliances. The metal baskets were snagged from my parent's shop. I think they look much nicer holding our snacks and mixes than the PVC elbows they were originally used for. My Dad about choked when I told him people pay $20 a piece in flea markets for old pool locker baskets.

We also have a toilet beside the shelves and the door that leads out to the gargage. I love being able to put things on top of our washer. The downside to having such tall appliances is, functional shelves above are hard to reach. I bought a board and some brackets at Lowe's and made a shelf out them to add some decor on the walls above the washer and dryer.

We have really enjoyed having company these last few weeks. The layout of our laundry/pantry/extra bathroom area really turned out to be a nice floor plan. A special shout out to one of our most frequent guests, who turns 11 today. We are constantly entertained by having Blake in our lives.