I grew up when there was no such thing as a mudroom (and there wasn’t much need for one either).

As a kid I entered my small ranch home at the side door (which BTW had a built-in milk chute – if there is anyone else out there who remembers what one of those was for). I simply flung my coat over on the available hooks by the side of the door and that was that. I didn’t own a bookbag. I don’t even remember anyone having a bookbag back in…

Does your mudroom resemble these statements?

• Book bags thrown anywhere and everywhere on the floor.
• Shoes discarded into haphazard piles as you come in from the garage. You're waiting for the next time you spill out a bag of groceries after tripping over this shoe graveyard.
• SO many coats draped over SO few hooks. How long will it take to find your favorite raincoat on a dreary Columbus day?
• Your son's dirty JV football uniform dropped in the…

You’re sleeping comfortably in the bedroom of your home. It’s calm in the middle of the night. Then, you hear a strange sound. It’s the sound of running water. Where’s it coming from? You search and search only to find…

Oh no!!!

The first floor of your beautiful New Albany home is a layer of water. Panic sets in. Where’s the water coming from? How can it be stopped…NOW! It’s the water purifier. Find the shut off valve – QUICK!

Disasters are…