Solution for Doorway Clutter

There are countless items that we keep by our door. Which means there are countless obstacles for me to trip over when trying to exit the door. Between Maddie's backpack, Lucas's lunchbox, my purse, car keys and garage door openers, dog leashes, and so on.... For ease and to maintain my sanity I like to keep these items near the door so I am not scrambling around looking for them as I try to dash out ( and by dash I mean running late.) One of my many attempts at trying to stay organized I guess (not that I am always successful at it.)

While visiting friends a while back I noticed they had hooks on the wall next to their garage door. This is where their three kids put their backpacks and all other necessary items. Inspiration struck! This was exactly what we needed in our house. I knew I wanted something to visibly designate each person/dogs' hook. After a lot of inspiration shopping and Internet browsing I settled on an idea.

I purchased six plain wood plaques and dark bronze coat hooks at Walmart. The rest of the supplies came from my craft arsenal. I determined each hook would have a family member's photo and the letter of their first name on it. I used papers from one of my K & Company pads (I think it might have been one of their Amy Butler collections) so all of the plaques would have a cohesive look. Then I added little details as I went along. Here is the final result, they are hanging next to the door as you go out to the garage:

Yummy Fruit Shake

Who needs Jamba Juice when you can have one of these? (Although it is nice to have someone else deal with the mess/dishes!)

Yummy Fruit Shake

1 handful each: ice, frozen berries, frozen pineapple, fresh blueberries (preferably organic)

1 banana, sliced into chunks

1-2 tbs. ground flaxseed (high in fiber and Omega 3 fats!)

dollop or two of non fat Greek yogurt (I usually go with vanilla or blueberry flavor)

1 spoonful honey

about 1 cup low fat soy milk

put all ingredients in large cup and blend with a hand blender or a regular blender (I prefer the hand blender, less mess to clean). Add a straw and voila! a tasty breakfast or lunch!