Mudroom

Love this boot rack!



I am not really sure why, but I have house planning on my mind this last week. Odd... usually I walk around party planning...

We aren't getting one.

Nor are we for a while.

No matter, I couldn't help but share one of my favorite things about country houses today- the mudroom! This is a little odd considering me and mud are not really friends. But I guess the best way to describe it is:

{A place between the garage and living areas or room just inside front/ back door to disrobe if covered in cow patties, take off your muddy/ wet shoes, boots and hang jackets, overalls and (cowboy) hats; usually have a bench and a boot jack}

Sidebar-Yes a boot jack! I didn't spell that wrong city friends. It is this amazing device where you can get your boots off without having to bend down and hop around on one leg while trying to pull. I think I could do I whole post on my love for boot jacks... another day.

Even if someone's home is spotless and entertaining ready, the mudroom is usually the same as always. A little messy, a little unorganized, a lot of character. But isn't that how we are in life? Sometimes I like to just sit there and watch Clay's family stagger in as the shred layers of coats, hats and boots and emerge a little lighter and a little cleaner, leaving behind the day. It may have something to do with the heated floors in that rooms too... and all the cute (I mean manly) cowboy gear...

I wish there was such thing as an emotional mudroom sometimes. How different would life be if you left all "dirt" from the day at the door and your home was like this...

Ephesians 4:29

Good News Translation

Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you.

PS- Couldn't find a good picture of a mudroom... all the ones I found were clean and Martha's vineyard looking... defeats the whole purpose :( I guess you will just have imagine until I can get to the ranch to take a pic

Whose bed have your boots been under?

My sweet Molly chewing on one of my favs- thanks!

Love, love, love Shania Twain... I have got to add her to my playlist... "and who's heart did you steal I wonder, this time it feels like thunder baby, and who did you run to..." But sadly she is actually not on my mind right now- just the song BECAUSE I have had boots on my mind! I love my family, my dogs, my pictures- they are precious to me!

But in a fire, assuming the before-mentioned things are safe- I am going for my one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable BOOTS!

To some this may sound silly, but to me they are defining- as defining as my red hair. City/ country, single/ married, skinny/ over-weight, wealthy/ poor, casual/ the country club/ many, many parties/ my debutante balls/ the bar/ the ranch- my boots have been with me and are irreplaceable. And even more than that, they are actually irreplaceable because they ARE (often old) and USED.

Every pair of boots I have purchased since I can remember is used, has their own story, history, long before I ever placed them on my feet.

I like to make up stories in my head about who might have worn them- cowboys, movie stars, politicians- highly unlikely at a cost of less than $30, but a girl can dream. Nonetheless, I hold them close to my heart. At any given time I have owned as many as 25 pairs or as few as 5 picked from various flea markets (Canton's First Monday is my favorite), eBay, antique stores, vintage clothes stores, goodwill... you would never believe the cool boots you can find! I have given them as gifts, shared with my mom and sister and traded with friends. I actually went to a true boot outfitter recently with Clay at his urging to see if I would like to get something- heck NO! I am totally spoiled... basic Justin or Ariat boots are nice but there is no creativity to their look, nothing vintage, nothing unique- all the boots that I even kinda liked were over $300! Maybe someday I will buckle down and get something when the teasing gets to be too much, but until then my charge to you- don't settle! Take pride in your boots, enjoy the hunt, have something re-soled, get the leather treated if it's amazing. But most of all don't pay $200 for average boots. Your clothes will show their age at some point, random jewelry can get boring, average shoes will go out of style/ fall apart, but boots get more comfortable with age and even when they do they tell your own little story.

I still have the boots I got engaged in, debuted in, sported all through college, play at the ranch in, and have my first boots as a toddler...

maybe it's an ode to my mother and our special 'boot hunts' or my fierce love for my state and everything it represents or a foreshadowing my life to come. But no matter, next time you see a really cool pair of vintage boots I hope you will stop and take a closer look.