The Kitchen Makeover

When we first moved in we had 3 priority rooms that needed to be updated to make the home our own. The kitchen, master bedroom, and kids room. Remarkably the three were done and the house was move in ready within 4 days, thanks to the amazing help of my Mother In Law Karen who came out for the week to help, and others who popped in to help with moving, cleaning, and painting when they could. Oddly enough the bathroom was not on that list, and yet it was the first project I featured on here, funny how life works sometimes. So, I thought it high time to start showing you some of the other rooms in our house.

Today we will focus on the kitchen. Even before we removed the wallpaper I loved this space, the kitchen is spacious with tons of cabinet and pantry space. I still can't figure out what to put in our Lazy Suzan's or two other cupboards!!!!

 Replacing the red sink is on my hubby's to do list, I wasn't really worried about it to be honest, but he would like it to be updated. Because of this, I didn't want to pick the color of the kitchen to necessarily coordinate with the sink (like I did the bathroom).

This is what the wall looked like after removing the wallpaper and trying our three color samples on it. Originally I'd been leaning towards the brown or green, that first color (blue gray) had been purchased for our bedroom. Somehow though, neither of them seemed to work right in the space.

As you can see the cupboards are very dark so it was hard for me to pick a color that would help them stand out, but also wouldn't swallow up the space too much.

My dad took daycare duty for the weekend like a champ. You can see the kitchen behind him, look at those big bags of wallpaper scraps!

Alright, this is the last picture of the kitchen before, don't you just love that window? I love that window. It brightens the space up so much, and weird as it might seem, I feel like I'm in a movie when I stand in front of it washing dishes or cooking for my family.

Are you ready to see the space transformed? Well, here it is ...

See my nice bottle collection starting up there?

Fighting from opposite sides of the room!

Dinning table

I love love love the arches, love love love.

We had to put a stop to this because toys were being hidden behind there, and because O isn't exactly a light weight, but it really was O'h so cute while it lasted :)

Thanks for stopping by today :)

She went, for the coffee.

When I was priming our new bathroom the other night, the Lord really started impressing on me, and well, I think He wants me to buy a coffee maker. I don't think He care's that much about the maker itself, it's more about the coffee and whose drinking the coffee, and what they could be talking about when they are drinking it.

Let me back up for a minute. Earlier that night I'd taken the kids for a walk and one of the houses near by had a group of people sitting at tables in their driveway. Owen was interested and said "Mom, look" well a minute later (Owen had ridden ahead praise the Lord) some guy shouts "what you looking at *****." I was so mad! But I was also frustrated, here we have heard nothing but good things about the neighborhood and then for this to happen. I've been praying so hard for a new home and a safe location and I just couldn't believe that within weeks of moving in there would be cause for concern like that.

However, I've also been praying that I wouldn't let anything rob me of my joy and the blessing of this new home that the Lord provided for us. So I tried very hard to make sure this didn't steal my joy, and that I don't automatically discount that whole house because of this one incident.

So, fast forward to later that evening when I was priming my bathroom and talking to God between thoughts and ideas, and pondering what had happened as well as some other conversations I'd had with our neighbors to our immediate right whom I really enjoy, when I thought about coffee.

I don't drink coffee, so for me to be thinking about coffee is a little bit odd. We just got rid of a small coffee maker that we got for our wedding, having registered for it so that over night guests could use it, but after 6.5 years it still sat unused (unless you count the skittles Owen kept in it for awhile). I started to remember about some bible studies which a friend of mine used to have, and before she hosted them a neighbor of her's hosted them, and while she wasn't a believer she went, for the coffee.

As I began chewing on that one thought, the greater it began to grow. We aren't yet settled into our new place, I haven't yet discussed this with my husband, or asked my friend if she'd consider leading the study, and I've only officially met two neighbors, but the more I think about it the more this idea feels like it is from the Lord. In fact, I was supposed to have some friends over yesterday and had to cancel because one of the boys was recovering from hand foot and mouth, but prior to the cancellation of that event I'd read these verses during my devotion time and kept thinking on them, chewing on them, trying to make them fit into my life, or my idea of how I was going to use my new house for the Lord (ie inviting over church friends, youth group events, letting Owen have sleep overs, girls nights, couples nights, family meals etc).

"A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come for everything is now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses.(...)The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.' 'Sir,' the servant said 'what you have ordered has been done, but there is still room.' Then the master told his servant, 'Go, out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.'" Luke 14: 16-23

I wish I had my study bible with me so I could quote what the note said, but basically the gist of it was, not to merely invite your friends over because you will be repaid by them or be repaying them for when they have or have had you over, but to instead invite strangers and the poor, to bless others without any expectation or hopes of being blessed in return.

When I was first thinking on these verses I took poor to mean poor, in the literal sense, but now I'm realizing the Lord is calling me to reach out to people in my neighborhood who are poor figuratively. Poor in spirit, or poor in knowledge of Christ.

For a long time now I haven't had a platform for leading non Christians to the Lord. I work in a christian office where I occasionally associate with a church secretary or associational team member, I go to church three times a week, and my best friends are Christians. I use this space here to encourage my fellow Christian friends and hopefully reach a few of my non christian acquaintances on Facebook. 

My husband and I were talking last week about how much we love our home (can someone say "honeymoon phase"?) when I mentioned how much I love our new location. It wasn't a place I had thought of, or specifically looked for. I'd been leaning towards something closer to my church (better schools, closer to friends, more in the country) and when we found this house I knew the location would work but I didn't realize how much I would love being in a nicer neighborhood, being able to go on long walks with the kids, seeing other kids riding their bikes and playing in yards. Now, I'm realizing that God's plans were even greater than that still, I'm realizing that I can be used here, that people need Jesus and I know him.

Stay tuned to see what kind of coffee maker I end up buying, because at this point I know the Lord wants me to do it, and when the Lord say's "buy a coffee maker" you can't turn your back. Well, I guess you could but it wouldn't turn out well, just ask Jonah.

Progress Report

I've decided to have a running blog post to update ya'll on my bathroom project this weekend to keep me accountable! I'll time stamp each new entry in this one post to keep it tidy and interesting. And to be true to life, I'll include the "My husband is out of town so of course the kids..." stories as well.

Nap time this afternoon:
I had hoped to get all of the wallpaper peeled, or at least the top layer peeled off, while Micah napped. I barely finished peeling the top layer off of two panels (the wallpaper was put on in about 18 in strips). Micah's nap was longer than I anticipated and I got less than on tenth of the way done with phase one.

After Dinner: 
The kids and I were in the basement. They were running around, I was organizing/unpacking/cleaning. I had been giving some sample Cascade Action Packs (those two in one packets for the dishwasher) as a "moving in" present and found them in the basement with our painting supplies so I threw the unopened package of samples on the stairs for my next trip up. Fast forward awhile and Micah comes to me crying out, and spitting in horror. I look over and even before I process what I see, I can smell the soap. He has a sparse Santa beard of dishwashing powder on his chin. I pick him up and race up the stairs to start flushing his mouth out with water.
As I have Micah flung over the sink I realize I need to call poison control, but I can't remember what those things are called and I don't have their number. "Owen, bring me the package that Micah opened to get that thing he just ate! NOW NOW NOW, Micah just ate poison I need the package with the words on it!"
After a minute of shuffling he comes up the stairs and says almost in tears "Um, mom, I'm sorry but I flushed it down the toilet!?!"
"What?! You flushed the package it came in down the toilet, why would you do that?"
"No, Mom. Wait. You need the green package? I have that!" and down the stairs he runs.
He get's back up, I hand Micah the glass of water and read the package looking for poison control's phone number and "in case of swallowing" directions.
I vaguely hear Owen continuing to talk about how he'd found the bit package on the floor "in the big room, where you were doing laundry" and decided to flush it down the toilet because it was open.
Micah drops the glass in the sink.
I reach down to take it from him so he doesn't cut himself, but nearly dropped Micah, so in catching him, I dropped the glass again, shattering it in the sink.
Poison control's number is not on the package, I finally find it online and called. I'm glad I did because Cascade can occassionally cause severe swelling of lips, tongue and throat. Micah is fine. Lady comments that she can hear Micah happy as a clam while I'm trying to prevent him from getting into stuff, she makes me laugh when she say's "he's a busy one isn't he?" and I thought if you only knew because yeah, he's busy but he's MY laid back one!  I make her laugh as I tell her the recap she said "wow you've had an eventful day."
"That was just the last five minutes!"
Praise the Lord that Micah didn't have an adverse reaction to the soap, praying tomorrow he doesn't have an upset belly.
He touches milk to his skin and turns bright red but he can eat soap without any physical symptoms. Go figure. The human body is an interesting and intricate thing, hmmm gives new meaning to "I will create man in my image" that God says in Genesis. hmmmm. A late pondering thought.

1:00 AM 
I have been stripping wallpaper since 8:30 with the exception of a one hour break, and I still have about a third of the bathroom to go. This wallpaper is CRAPPY!!!! It does not peel well. Um, well, actually, it does not peel, is more accurate. The goal was to wash the walls during nap time and prime after bedtime. We shall see, we shall see.

I have a BIG job for the boys in the morning. Throw away all the paper scraps. Micah will love it. Owen? Not so much.

Oh, boy. It's late. Good night bathroom update blog stalkers :)

When The Cats Away, The Mouse Will Play

My husband is leaving tonight after work to go on a men's retreat with the guy's from our church. He looks forward to this event all year long, he absolutely loves it. I think it's because he gets to go fishing and kayaking. I love that he gets to get away and have this spiritual escape with other guys and bond over water-drowning fights, male bonding in it's truest form.

However, that means I get to stay at home with two kids, by myself. Maybe I'm just a big brat but I hate it when my husband isn't around. I love our family element. I love the family bonding that happens on weekends, having a supportive husband and father to watch the kids while I take a relaxing shower, or siting and watch tv or surf the internet together, even if we aren't saying anything, after the kids have gone to bed. This week, in particular has been very stressful for me. For whatever reason I've been an emotional wreck. Nothing has been wrong, per say, but everything makes me cry.

So, last night when I realized I'd be having to take today off of work in order to stay home with a contagious child, I decided I'd do a little something theraputic while he is gone.

I decided to redo our bathroom. And he has no idea.

Redo your bathroom? With two kids, and no help? Are you completely insane?

Must be, but I'm stoked and can't wait to see it transform from a 70 year old's bathroom into a 30 year old's "in home spa" :) This bathroom redo has given me some fire, purpose and excitement for a weekend that otherwise felt drab and boring.

I'm not doing a complete remodel, just a paint job, which means removing some ugly wallpaper.

Here are a few blury pictures curtosey of my cell phone.

Close up of the wallpaper so you can get a true feeling of how hideous it is! :)

 So, I have a brilliant idea, I bought some paint, then when I want to get a script filled for my son I found some towels, a trash can, a rug, and a soap dispenser that match my marvelous plan. Soon the blue tub and sink will fit nicely into my transformed room!

Stay tuned for the finished product, in the meantime, wish me a "Happy Painting!"