Bakery, Barbells and Bargains I own a bakery, and I like to lift weights and shop

December 5, 2017

Actually, This Is Better

Filed under: Health,Life in General — shuss @ 10:27 am

“Food will never tastes as good as skinny feels.” Anyone else ever seen this obnoxious quote? It is usually found on Facebook feeds or on Pinterest in the fitness inspiration boards accompanied by a photo of a girl with rock hard abs.

So first of all, the salty author of this quote has obviously never had a treat by Pure Butter Bakery.

Second, can you tell I don’t like this quote? Why? Because I cannot stand the mentality of shaming people for eating. I do not care if you weight 500 pounds, you still need to feed and nourish your body. Do you know there are some people who are very active but due to the fact they are overweight, they feel like they do not deserve a meal? Or they feel ashamed of eating so they will only do so in private? Ugh, what kind of society have we created that we make people ashamed to eat?

So you know what feels better than skinny and tastes better than food? Loving yourself.

I want to loose some more inches and sometimes it feels like an uphill battle but that battle is so much easier when I can love myself for who I am now and not just for my goal weight. It feels amazing to know that I can lift heavy weights and improve at workouts no matter what my size. It feels great to have my doctor tell me I am healthy. It feels great to enjoy a healthy balanced variety of foods 90% of the time and not worry a bit when enjoying a big ice cream cone or a huge buttery biscuit.

Don’t aim to be skinny, aim to be healthy because healthy looks different on each person. Just walk into a gym and I guarantee you will see people of various shapes and sizes completely crushing their workout. In college I was skinny but I was far from healthy, I hardly ate enough and when I did it was almost all carbs and I was constantly queasy from not eating enough.

I don’t care what size you are, you are worth love and acceptance. Think of your friends. When I picture my friends, I know they range in all different sizes but I don’t think about that. I think about the fun things we do together and the special memories we share.

All bodies are beautiful, keep yours loved, healthy and happy.

November 29, 2017

Cash In The Closet

Filed under: Uncategorized — shuss @ 9:46 am

Anyone remember the show Cash In The Attic? I watched it a couple of times. It was basically where people wanted to round up some extra cash so the rounded up their items from their attic or other storage spaces to take to auctions. A lot of people were happily surprised with how much their ignored items were worth.

When we started our own Ebay/Amazon selling business a few months ago, we started off by selling off some items from our own house that we were no longer using. This is a great way to get a feel for selling without having to invest in inventory. I knew we had some things we could part with but I was really surprised at how much we had and I kept finding more. Here are some of my favorite sales from items found around our home. These are all items that sold quickly. Bonus, many of these were sold on Facebook, so no seller fees!

Interior door – when we finished our upstairs space we no longer needed a door to close off the stairs and I prefer them exposed. We sold the door along with the handle , hinges, and all hardware

Salt lamp – This was a nice lamp but I only turned it on a few times, it was practically new.

Essential oil diffuser – I sold three of these brand new in the box, they were gifts and we are not that into essential oils.  A lot of people use essential oils so these sold quickly.

Outdoor Furniture – A few years ago I built two nice outdoor chaise lounge chairs and never really used them,  I was able to sell these for the same amount I spent building them as they were in great condition.  I had two rocking chairs on my front porch that were peeling badly and falling apart, I posted them as-is wondering if anyone would want to try and fix them up and they sold quickly.  I was later gifted some nice new porch chairs so I also sold some older iron chairs that a lady bought to re-paint and sell herself.

Old Gaming System and Games – While cleaning out a closet, I found an old gaming system and box of games and asked my husband if I should sell it.  He later told me he was going to list it on ebay since he thought it would do well on there.  So glad he made that call, both items got lots of bids and they each sold for more than we were going to ask for them together if listed on Facebook.

These are just a few items I have sold recently, we have also sold many toys, clothes and other home items.  Here are some items we currently have listed or are about to list for sale:

Wii Fit game and balance board

Children’s princess costumes

Ladies pants – J Crew, Gap, Seven for All Mankind, Ann Taylor, Liz Claiborne and more brands

Columbia jackets – men’s, boys, and girls

Nike sneakers

Kid’s boots

Men’s dress shirts – Tommy, Carhart, and other brands

Vintage Miami Dolphins sweatshirt

Assortment of toys

My advice to anyone starting off with selling is to shop in your own home for inventory.  You will be surprised at what you find to part with that someone else will want and you will save money on stocking initial inventory.  For more tips on selling, check out our other website http://www.thehusstle.com

 

November 21, 2017

Why I Decorate Before Thanksgiving

Filed under: Uncategorized — shuss @ 3:29 pm

People seem to hate basically everything these days, especially around the holidays. I am not even going to touch the Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays war or the annual The Starbucks Holiday Cups Are Not Holiday Enough movement…..seriously people, get a job or something. But I will talk about one recent hate I keep seeing lately and that is Christmas decorating before Thanksgiving.

My Facebook feed this year is either full of people who already decorated or people who hate that people already decorated. I have read that decorating is tacky all the way to it’s downright disrespectful of Thanksgiving, it’s a little ridiculous. And that handful that do not care when others decorate their own house? You’re the real MVPs, never change.

For the past about eight years or so, I have been decorating my house for Christmas the weekend before Thanksgiving. With the exception of the year my daughter was a newborn at Thanksgiving and the year my daddy went into hospice care, those years I squeezed it in when I could. And while I do not really owe an explanation to anyone as to why and when I decorate my own house, I thought I could at least offer a little perspective. So here ya go.

Reason 1 – Thanksgiving Plans
Anyone on here travel for Thanksgiving? Visit more than one family? I do. This is my Thanksgiving week….work M-W, Wednesday pack and prep for Thanksgiving Day, Thursday we have lunch with one family (often hosting) then drive halfway across the state to have dinner with the other family. Then we stay there to visit until Sunday. Monday morning it is back to work. I am very fortunate to be off for Thanksgiving break but I am not actually home to put out any decorations. Coming home from a long weekend is already hectic enough and it is very nice to come home to an already decorated house.

Reason 2 – Daily Schedule
So this is a small glimpse of my schedule. M-F, I work full-time and three of those days I hit the gym after work. Then there are baths, dinner, homework and everything else it takes to keep a household and family running. Saturdays our daughter has gymnastics and Sunday is church. Then there are the businesses we own. Any guesses on which month is busiest for a bakery? Yep, it’s December.

Reason 3 – It Works for Us
I enjoy Christmas, always have. And after losing a parent over the holidays, I found it healing to plan new holiday traditions to enjoy with my little family. Some of those include going away for the weekend as a family. There is also the weekend my husband and I enjoy our Christmas date. There are parties and outings with friends and family and weekends fill up fast. Having decorations up early allow me to keep the Christmas season weekends open for holiday fun.

So that is why my decorations are currently up. This Thanksgiving Day I might have a lit tree in my living room and a few wreaths on my porch, but I promise you I am thinking about Thanksgiving and that is the holiday I am celebrating.

Now, since it is Thanksgiving week, please enjoy my recipe for some yummy cheesecake below.

3 blocks soft cream cheese

1 cup of sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup full fat sour cream

Crushed graham crackers or Oreos

Melted butter

Start by mixing either crackers or Oreos with melted butter until crumbly, I just eyeball this so maybe about 4 tbsp butter to 1 1/2 cups crumbs.  The amount you use depends on how thick you want the crust and if you want it up the sides of the pan, so play around with it.  Press mixture into a 9 inch spring form pan and bake on 350 for 5 minutes.

Mix all other ingredients with electric mixer until smooth.  Be sure to scrape bowl to incorporate all ingredients evenly.  Pour filling onto crust and bake on 350 for about 1 hour, place pan on a sheet pan as butter may drip from the spring form pan.  You can use a water bath in the sheet pan but I choose not to.  Watch cake carefully as oven times can vary, it is done when it has a golden brown top and slightly jiggles when tapped.  Remove from oven and allow to rest for 30 minutes then carefully remove the sides of the pan.  Once cool but not cold, chill in fridge for at least 12 hours.  If cake is not going to be eaten by the next day, wrap in foil and freeze.  I like these cakes plain but they are also delish with sweet toppings.

Happy Holidays Y’all!

 

November 20, 2017

House Updates, Living Room

Filed under: Uncategorized — shuss @ 3:39 pm

After we finished off our upstairs, we changed a few small things in the living room. First we removed the door to the staircase since it is now leading to finished space. Next I moved the tall bookcases on each side of the fireplace to open up the spaces. I added wedding portraits on each side and cute baskets.  The shelves have been re-homed to our space upstairs, one in the landing and the other in the office.  I love being able to shop for home items for free within my own house.  The new frames and baskets are from Michael’s and 50% off and I had a 20% off purchase coupon, I love those deals!

You cannot tell from the photo, but in the staircase landing I added a tall narrow table and some hooks since we do not have a foyer.

The biggest change we made was a new couch, this was very frustrating but needed.  Our other couch, which was only a few years old, was peeling badly and looked really bad.  However it is really comfortable and in good shape structurally so we have moved it to the basement where it is waiting for a nice cover.  Here is the new couch, I really like it and that corner seat is so cozy.  I had a cold this weekend and spent all of Sunday curled up in the corner seat with a blanket.  My little girl calls it the sweet spot.

I’m really happy with how the space turned out.  I would like to get hardwood floors later on but I am not ready to tackle another big project just after finishing the upstairs.  For now we will just relax and enjoy, the carpet is rather cozy after all.

November 17, 2017

An Almost Homemade Thanksgiving

Filed under: Uncategorized — shuss @ 8:23 am

One of my favorite holidays is almost here, Thanksgiving. I actually really like all the holidays but I like how Thanksgiving is just about being together, and it can be as formal or laid back as you wish. My mother hosts my family each year for dinner, so we enjoy lunch with my husband’s family. Two years ago, we started hosting this meal at our home, Since we still have another gathering at dinner time, we have a few tricks to make lunch easy yet festive.

The biggest favor we do for ourselves is buy a cooked turkey, huge time saver and it frees up the oven. We have been getting the fried turkey from Bojangles and it is delicious, everyone enjoys it. To save even more time, we also get our mashed potatoes and gravy from there as well.

Splitting up the work is also a huge help on Thanksgiving day. We discuss the menu ahead of time and split up what we want to contribute. We also try to not make too much food, as we had way too many leftovers in the past.  I also try not to fret about everything being homemade from scratch, but focus more on making sure everyone there has something they enjoy.  I like to make homemade dressing with bread from the bakery, but I will often “doctor up” a boxed mac and cheese to save time.  I buy a bag of mixed veggies and steam with butter and top with seasonings for a simple veggie dish, and I usually just buy the rolls because my little girl loves King’s Hawaiian Rolls.  Dessert is generally where most of my cooking energy goes, this year I will be making a peanut butter pie.

Lastly, I use foil baking trays and pans, paper plates, and plastic cups.  This keeps cleanup very quick, less time doing dishes and more time chatting with guests.  This year we are super excited to have our first Thanksgiving with Mimi and Papa who just moved here from FL!  Below are my recipes for Doctored Mac and Cheese and Peanut Butter Pie, both simple and very tasty.  Please share how you save time on your holiday cooking!

Doctored Up Mac and Cheese  (I double this for Thanksgiving)

1 box of mac and cheese, I like Velveeta Shells

1/3 cup milk

Splash of chicken broth

3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup cheddar cheese OR 6 slices of deli american cheese, we like Boars Head

Additional 1/2 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup crumbled bacon (optional)

Cook boxed meal according to package directions and turn heat down to low.  Add the other ingredients and stir until the cheese and butter melt, if the sauce is too thick, thin with milk or broth.  Stir in bacon if using and transfer to 8″ square dish.  Top with additional cheese and broil on low until cheese is melted.

 

Peanut Butter Pie

1 chocolate or graham cracker pie shell

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 block of cream cheese, soft

1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar, whipped

Mix peanut butter, sugar and cream cheese until smooth.  Gently stir in whipped cream and pour into pie shell.  Top with additional whipped cream and chill until ready to serve.

November 16, 2017

Unexpected Education

Filed under: Mommy Life,Vacations — shuss @ 10:29 am

When we planned to visit California, we planned it for the fall season to avoid peak crowds and to see the fall colors. This did mean taking our first grader out of school for the week, so I started with a call to the school social worker to let her know about our plans. She told me to write a letter to the principal with details of what we were doing each day and she could excuse days depending on the educational experiences.

While writing my letter, I was pretty confidant that the days in the national parks were education but I thought Disneyland and Hollywood would be hard to justify. During the trip, I found some learning opportunities I had never thought of that reminded me that all travel is educational. Here is what I learned.

Flying! Airports and airplanes have a lot of rules and little ones are full of questions. Learning opportunities here included time management, reading directional signs, listening to the flight crew and going through security. We had two bags that required searching, due to me forgetting to put my sunscreen in the checked luggage and we had a bottle of water. We explained this part as best as possible without scaring our child with stories of terrorist, she’s a bit young for that. On one of the plane rides, Sammie was thrilled to get to assist the airline attendant in giving the safety talk and she got a free drink out of it. You’re never too young to learn how to get some airline perks. 😉

At Disneyland we had some other opportunities come up that I had not thought of. The first was time management. Sammie had previously looked at the rides online and knew which ones she wanted to ride the most. We would be near one ride, and she would be excited to go ride another instead….way across the park. We talked to her about making the best use of our time by riding things in order as we arrived to them.  This was also a good lesson in patience and self control.

Another thing Sammie was curious about were the signs instructing you how to properly sit in the rides, with a simple illustration of one person sitting correctly and another falling out of the seat. We explained how you have to sit down to stay safe and best enjoy the ride, and we also told her how the person falling out of the ride was making very poor decisions and how you do not want to be that person.  We actually discussed good decision making a lot on this trip….staying on marked trails, not approaching wildlife, staying with mommy and daddy and following directions.

Disneyland is also a great place to talk about budgeting because there are many things kids (and adults too) want to purchase. I did not do the best job at this because I did splurge and let her get a few more souvenirs than promised, but we did agree to forgo a cotton candy treat to get a stuffed bear.  The bear was a few more dollars but at least the bear wouldn’t cause more cavities.  So we did not do the best job at this, but it can be a good learning opportunity if you want it to be. But if not, no big deal, its not every day you visit Disneyland.  Just remember to remind your kids that Disney is a special place and that is why they get treats.

The final thing I noticed was reading. Sammie read all over the place at Disney. Signs describing rides, signs with rules, menus, maps, and even the signs telling you where you could read a copy of a ride’s inspection report at town hall.  Out and about in Hollywood she read store signs, street signs and more.  She read everything she saw and asked questions about all of it.

The final day of our trip spent in Hollywood was a bit harder to find learning opportunities so I had to dig deep on this one. The first thing that comes to mind is just seeing another area of the country and a different lifestyle. We live in a small mountain town and our nearby city is still small for city standards.  Driving through LA, GPS took us through all sorts of different neighborhoods and I found it great to see what other residential areas look like. On Hollywood Blvd, there were many people “hustling” to make a living by dressing as Batman, Wonder Woman, Mickey Mouse, ect. This is not something she has ever seen before and does not see on a regular basis. On a sad note, she saw homeless people sleeping on the streets for the first time and asked about them later.  She has seen people with homeless signs during the day before, but not the actual reality of someone having to sleep on a sidewalk bench.  It was an opportunity to explain how our world has lots of need and ways we can help.

So these were just a few little unexpected learning opportunities.  I am thinking we could make Hawaii or Italy an educational trip next 😉

November 15, 2017

Thoughts I Have at the Gym

Filed under: Life in General — shuss @ 8:00 am

I’m late, again….why does this tiny town have such massive traffic?

Oh good, they are still warming up, I’m not THAT late.

Oh nevermind…..

Oh snap!  We are doing back squat max today!

I love back squats, I love back squats, I love back squats…..

Holy cow, this is heavy!

And now onto the main WOD……

Eww, burpees and thrusters??? In the same day??? Good grief…

I should not have skipped yesterday…..

Oh sweet, I can RX this workout!

Wait, I didn’t see pull-ups on there, I have to do ring rows….I can almost RX this

Oh….I cannot lift that much…..

I literally have to modify this entire workout

Whatever, no shame in my scaled game…tehehe

Okay, so this won’t be too terrible, I’l just try to go really fast on the burpees and get it over with

Oh wow, these people are strong….should I put more weight on my bar?

Nah, I’ll just end up slipping a disc

Or passing out

Wow, my hubby is lifting a lot

He’s so handsome over there with his gigantic weights

Don’t hurt your knee babe….

Here we go……let’s try to finish this in less than 6 minutes

This isn’t bad at all

~5 reps later~

Hmm…..should I already be tired?

I don’t think I can do all these reps

I hate this so much

Why do I pay money for this???

Good grief, I have about 10 loads of laundry to do at home and instead I am here doing this nonsense

These are not good pants for burpees, I have to stop and pull them up every single rep!

Okay, this bra is definitely not burpee friendly, I’m going to turn around and face a wall

Note to self, check the WOD before packing gym clothes…..sheesh!

Oh this bar is getting heavy, should I take some weight off?

No, just keep the weights on and get it done faster

My gosh, these college kids are so fast

*&#$%*#!!!!!!!!

Hmmm, my kid needs to tell me something.  Bless her sweet little heart for interrupting me for a minute so I can breath

Oh I hate burpees so much, they make me nauseous

DO NOT throw up

Five minutes in, hurry it up!

I am seriously never wearing these pants to the gym again

Oh snap, I am on the last set

YES!  No more thrusters!  Pound out the burpees and ring rows

And done, where’s my phone so I can log this?

~5 minutes later~

That wasn’t bad at all

I feel great, I’m so glad I came to workout today!

High fives and fist bumps all around

I’ll absolutely be back tomorrow

 

 

 

 

November 13, 2017

Bakery Organization

Filed under: Pure Butter,The House — shuss @ 11:30 am

My bakery is home based which is incredibly convenient for my schedule but can be a little hectic sharing the space with my home kitchen. Since we were changing our house around so much, I decided to change up my bakery storage as well. I usually take just two cake orders a week, some weeks I have none, so I saw no reason for my many pans and other supplies to take up my entire island storage. After moving some rooms around, cleaning out unused items and a few small purchases, I now have my bakery organized and out of my everyday kitchen life. Here is what I did.

First, I cleaned out the bottom cabinets in my china cabinet, I had a lot of items stored in there that I have not used in several years so I either sold or donated them.   After that was cleaned out and reorganized, there was plenty of space to store all of my round cake pans.

Next, I went down the hall to the new guest room to scope out some storage space.  Items like cake boards and cupcake boxes are sold in bulk and there is absolutely no reason they need to be stored in the kitchen.  I had moved the old nursery dresser into the guest room but I really only needed the top drawer for some odds and ends.  My stock of cake boards fit perfectly into the rest of the drawers and now it is so quick to find the size board I need.  There was also an extra drawer where I could stash my business binder where I keep my receipts and calendar.

So this got the bigger bulky items out of the way, but my biggest storage problem was all my little supplies.  It was getting easy to loose little things like jars of color, piping tips, and fondant cutters in the huge island cabinet.  Plus, again these are items that are not used on a daily basis yet taking up a big kitchen cabinet.  So I decided to get it all out of the kitchen with the help of this awesome cart.

    

I found this cart at Michael’s as part of their Everyday Values collection.  You cannot use a coupon for it, but at $30.00 it was still a great deal.  I think it is actually meant to store craft paper, but the drawer size is perfect for storing cake decorating supplies.  The drawers are deep enough to hold containers but small enough that little tools do not get lost.  The drawers are also washable and can be removed for easy cleaning.  The best part is it has wheels, so I can easily store it when finished.  It fits nicely into my newly cleaned out and organized guest room closet.

Simple fix to a big mess!  Now to move on to the next organizational project….

November 10, 2017

Holiday Tipping and Gifting Ideas

Filed under: Budgeting,Holidays,Shopping — shuss @ 10:41 am

On my other blog that I run with my husband, I have been writing about holiday spending and saving, which you can check out here.

Susan’s Holiday Guide to Savings

Keeping with the Christmas theme, I thought I would share some holiday tipping and gifting guides. While these are suggestions and not requirements, these kind tips and gifts will mean a lot to the people that provide services for you regularly. There are also some I had not thought of before. I found this article to be a great guide.

Holiday Tipping Guide

Since the linked article serves as a great guide on who and amounts, I thought I would share some gift ideas that will be useful and hopefully enjoyed by the recipient. Plus, some ideas to help you stay on budget.

Gift Cards – Amazon, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts Target and Walmart are usually pretty safe choices. Pick a more specific location if you know the recipient has a favorite store or restaurant. Make sure employees are allowed to accept gift cards as some are not.  Check seasonal sales to get deals on multi packs of gift cards if you have more than one to purchase.

Baked Goods – Purchase some good bakery goods like pastries, cookies, cupcakes, cake pops or breads. If you are a savvy baker, whip up these treats yourself and pack into festive boxes with a bow.  I have seen a cool trend on social media to put a box of sealed treats such as Little Debbie for those delivering packages to your door.  I may do that this year, as we order many gifts online.  And remember edible gifts do not have to be sweets.  When I taught preschool, I received some homemade Tex-Mex seasoning one year from one of my parents, it was very yummy!

School Supplies – It is no secret that teachers spend a lot of their own money on supplies. Find out what they use often and make a gift basket with markers, cleaning wipes, tissues and other items they may need.  Don’t forget to add in some goodies that are just for them to enjoy.

Ornaments – Christmas ornaments are a favorite go-to gift for me because almost everyone that celebrates the holiday can use them.  I get them for teachers, coworkers, family members and more.  Belk is my favorite place to get them because on Black Friday they have all of their Christmas items on sale for 60% off and their ornaments are beautiful.  Target is another store that typically has holiday items on sale Black Friday and has a great selection of nice ornaments.

Me Time – Have someone that works hard for you doing physical labor like childcare, cleaning, personal training or yard work?  A gift of pampering can show them some great appreciation.  Gift certificates for manicures/pedicures, hair styling, or a massage are all great choices for a relaxing day.  Shop around to compare prices and see if any spas or salons are running specials.  I know a massage therapist who works out of her home independently and her rates run less than a large spa with overhead.  If you are looking to support local businesses this holiday season, this type of gift can do just that.

Share some of your favorite gifts you have gotten in the past.

November 8, 2017

A New Playroom

Filed under: The House — shuss @ 8:28 am

As I continue with the tour of my newly arranged home, today I will share the playroom. This room was formerly Samantha’s bedroom and is located on the main floor of our home. Her playroom was originally in the finished basement but she did not like being so far away from us while playing. Since we were moving her bedroom out, we decided to make it her new playroom. Bonus, it was already painted for a little girl so we didn’t have to change the walls.  The original playroom was huge, almost half our basement so we started with a big downsize.  We had already moved out some of the larger toys as she outgrew them (this photo is a few years old) but we still had a lot to change out.  Some play items like her teepee and baby dolls went upstairs but almost everything else went to the playroom, including a huge dollhouse.  Fortunately, we have managed to make it all work and she is already playing better in her new space.  Below is her original lower level playroom and her former bedroom which is now her playroom.

 

To make room for toys, the dresser was moved across the hall to the new guest room, I exchanged the wood knobs for silver ones.  The chair was moved upstairs to the loft area and we sold the twin bed.  The wall shelves stayed in this room to hold toys.

Here is her new playroom all set-up and ready for hours of play.  I think that by eliminating some toys, she is playing much better as it is not so overwhelming.  While huge, my favorite item in the playroom is the dollhouse because it doubles as play and storage.  My sister-in-law found it at an overstock type store last December and offered to pick it up and meet me with it, I immediately took her up on the offer as it was half the price of retail and brand new.  I usually would not buy such a big item so close to Christmas but I knew she was getting the doll kitchen and salon chair and this would be a great place to put them.  That and the deal was too good to pass up!

This house for AG dolls was found at a overstock type store, it is furnished with a mixture of items from mostly AG and Target.

Still working on the shelves but for now we have some Disney dolls, photos and a doll ballet studio. This is from the Lori line at Target but also fits mini AG dolls.  It came with the piano and little holders to help the dolls stand.

More of the Disney doll collection and a messy top shelf that needs my attention

Various array of toys to keep a little girl busy. The jeep is from Target’s Our Generation line and the camper is for Barbies. The cubical shelf holds various small toys, and the top makes the perfect location for doll school. The desk and locker are from AG and come with great little accessories, the chalkboard is from Michael’s. The townhouse and car are from Target’s Lori line and fit little mini AG dolls. The black boxes hold assorted toys, hoping I can locate the lid to the larger box because they stack nicely. The blue van is actually an ice cream truck from Target’s Our Generation line, it came with tons of accessories and gets played with often. The beach hut was made by me using plywood, dowels and burlap.

This little closet, also by Our Generation holds doll clothes and is topped with other doll toys.

The Barbie house is nestled by the big doll house along with a car and baskets of dolls and accessories. I need a better storage system for this area but it works.

Little peek inside the dollhouse. The kitchen is from Target and came with oodles of accessories, the living room set is from Walmart.

The closet stores some doll clothing and Lego sets. This space is a work in progress as we also have some space to the side that needs to be cleaned out.  I may go with a better shelving system in the future but this one I had on hand.

So for now, this is the playroom.  I am overall very happy with it, I just want to find some good storage options.  However, I do not want to get too crazy with organization and decorating in here because the space is meant for play, not as a showroom.  As long as I have containers for all the teeny tiny toys, Legos and doll accessories, we should be good.

 

 

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