New Kitchen

A vast majority of houses we looked at needed a kitchen makeover.  It became a common theme after touring a house and saying "we'll just paint the kitchen and it'll look great".  Oh how those words have such a deeper meaning now.  And I don't think I'll ever say them so nonchalantly ever again. 

Because when we bought our house, the kitchen looked like this:

It was dark.  And ringed of the 90's era when the house was built.  Plus the counter tops were cracked in several spots. The stove top only have 2 working burners.  And oh my goodness that floor was pretty disgusting.  We contemplated ripping that out as well. 

It even had one of those lovely florescent light fixtures that is popular in so many houses built during the 90's.  It did not help with the darkness of the room.  And coming from Alaska, I needed light.  And lots of it.  

So we got to work.  In two-ish weeks before the moving truck arrived, we (with much help from Matt's dad) painted the base cabinets, installed new counter tops, and replaced the back splash, got a new stove top, painted the walls and installed all new lighting.  And that was just in the kitchen.

One thing we didn't get to were the cabinet doors.  We worked our tails off to get the kitchen to a place where we could unpack and survive.  Doors and hardware were not part of that equation.  And then we got burned out...well, actually we had other projects to work on...so we lived with no doors for...um...two months??

And just a couple weeks before Christmas, we finally have doors up and hardware on!  I didn't think I'd ever see this day.

Remember before?

I love before and afters.  And now have such a better appreciation for "after".

My husband never ceases to amaze me in how he can just decide to tackle something and learn how to do it.  Like he did with electrical.  He learned when we remodeled our bathroom in Anchorage.  And now he's a pro.  What a blessing to be married to man with such handyman skills.

Thus, he installed some can lights and these beautiful pendants over the island.

Our beautiful new stove top - that has all working burners!  And that back splash.  I cannot take any credit on the installation of that, but am thankful for the men that can.  Because I love it.

My new paint color that took three coats.  THREE.  That was dreadful, but I love the end product.  It's bright but the rest of the kitchen and house are so neutral, that I love the pop of color.

You can kind of see the floors in the picture above.  After several hours of scrubbing the floor with Clorox and a toothbrush, they actually look clean and relatively new.  I'm glad we didn't have to replace them after all!

And another angle for your viewing pleasure...because the amount of work that went into this kitchen deserves a bazillion pictures.

We have these two glorious, huge windows by the sink.  They will one day get curtains, but for now, I'm enjoying all the sunlight.

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so it's an important room to me.  I love the brightness of it all.  And it was fun to pick out all the finishes.  However, I already told Matt, if we ever have to paint kitchen cabinets again, we will save and pay someone.  Or buy a house that's already completed.  If that last scenario is actually possible.

But for now, I'm loving the new kitchen.  And thankful for the opportunity to have such an amazing space.

Garden

Remember when just a couple short months ago our backyard looked like this?  Yuck.  I'm dreading those days again. 

 But then the snow started to melt and we built a raised garden bed.  And it looked like this:

We worked on planting our little seeds inside next to the sunniest window in our home and I was amazed to watch my little plants grow...because usually they die under my care.

Once they got bigger, we transplanted them to solo cups...since it was still too cold outside to plant them in the ground (even though it was May).

As June 1st arrived (which is usually the last frost up here, depressing I know), I went to planting them in our garden.  We even added this trellis to help the snow peas blossom.  And of course I had to make it cute with little signs signifying what each vegetable is...just in case we forgot.:)  Just looking out the window (it's right outside out living room) at the greenery and sunshine makes me happy.

Then we decided that our back yard still needed help.  Grass wouldn't grow and only the back portion gets direct sunlight, not where the current concrete patio resides by the back door.  We would never sit there because in the shade it's just too cold for my liking.  So we decided to add more patio space by laying some pavers.  Matt did an excellent job on them.

I even built two little herb planters you can see on the little table.  Matt helped me cut the wood, because the saw freaks me out and my hand is so small I can barely push the button, but I nailed them together and put a fresh, bright coat of paint on them with some basil, parsley and cilantro.  All we have left to do is pick up some mulch to fill in where there is still ground showing...since grass just doesn't happen there for whatever reason.

Even Mocha enjoys taking in the beauty that is now our back patio (and you can see the shade/sun difference we have going on).  Oh how that dreadful space now makes me so happy.

Craftiness

I officially quit my job.  Or I tried.  Maybe you didn't even know I was working?  Well a couple weeks before my maternity leave began, my boss asked me if I'd be interested in working from home (because I had made it clear that I didn't want to send Maddie to childcare, so I was probably not going to return).  Sounded like a great opportunity to keep myself challenged and make a little extra money on the side.  So six weeks after Maddie was born, I started working from home.  Nothing crazy, but 5-10 hours a week.  Problem was, I wasn't enjoying it.  And at times stressed out.  I felt burdened to work during Maddie's irregular naps when I really just wanted to read or make dinner or actually shower.  Sometimes I'd get up early on a Saturday morning to get some time in.  Matt doesn't really care if I work.  Thankfully we are blessed and agree to sacrifice some things for me to stay home.  So after MUCH prayer and debate, I decided to call it quits.  Matt said it could be a birthday present to myself.  I went in to give my notice.  Then they offered me an even better scenario.  Why don't I take a couple months off for the summer and if things get less crazy, I can start up again.  Seriously?  God is good.  Perfect situation.  I feel blessed to have them so flexible with me - I know that doesn't happen often.

Anyways, since that happened just a couple days ago, I feel relief.  Like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  And I guess as a celebration, I realized my craftiness bug has been building up.  And Maddie took an unusually long nap today.  Of course all was made with materials I have in my "craft bin", because a quick trip to the store doesn't happen anymore. 

I first made this to hang in this empty space we've had in our kitchen.  I was reminded of this quote from Jim Elliot recently and I feel like it's so fitting.  Especially since Matt and I just found out that it's going to be another couple years in Alaska.  So often (especially in Matt's current work situation) I live dreaming of what/where we'll be one day.  I look forward to being closer to family and old friends, but I'm actually overwhelmed with contentment about staying.  And by all means, I want to be living all here not wishing it away.

 I also recently made this spring time wreath.  Winter is WAY too long up here.  So this was my glimmer of hope each time I opened the door.

 Then I finished my coffee from Costco (I love Costco) and decided to make a toy bin for all of Maddie's rattles, pacifiers, etc we have floating around.  She's not really old enough for big toys, so it's nice I can contain most of her things in this little tin.  I know to enjoy it while I can. :)

 And what is that sitting on, you ask?  Garage sale season has begun!  I love garage sale-ing.  And our first Saturday morning out we found this beauty.  Sure Maddie can't exactly sit by herself in it yet, but I figure when that time comes around there won't be any garage sales to hit up (because there will probably be 10 feet of snow on the ground again).  It's the planner in me. :)

Vegetable Garden

We are attempting a new hobby.  To be honest, I'm a little skeptical on how successful it will be.  Especially since I somehow killed every single plant I've ever owned.  But we have been talking about this for awhile, and now that I'm home most of the day, I might be successful in keeping these plants alive.

It started when our friends told us they had an old greenhouse given to them that they didn't want.  Which included these awesome cedar boards that we could have.  So after an afternoon of enjoying lunch and the boys some manual labor, we came home with these.  Matt cut them down to the appropriate size...

 ...and we built this.  A raised vegetable garden.  It's 2.5 ft x 8 ft (it's kinda hard to tell in this picture).  I was very proud of ourselves as it actually only took one weekend to do it all.  That never happens.  Matt even went and got a truck bed full of dirt and filled it up.

You see it right, folks.  That's still snow on the ground.
And I'm well aware it's already May.

Raised beds are much better here in Alaska, because the ground gets so cold. Plus our back "yard" doesn't get much sunlight due to the fence and direction our house faces, so we thought raising it will help it out a bit.  Now we just have to keep the darn moose from eating my precious fruits and veggies.

While Matt filled the bed with dirt, I went to work on planting our future dinner dishes inside.  The last frost isn't until mid-late May (just about when Texas is wrapping up their planting season), so we have to keep them indoors until then.  Yes, that means that we only have about 3 months of harvesting, but I'm determined it will be a good three months!

I did a little research on what to plant and came up with: lettuce, snow peas, squash, strawberries, raspberries and some herbs.  Seeing my little sprouts makes me so excited that I've even gotten this far!  (The middle section is my squash...it must be a late bloomer.)

My mom calls me her "hippie daughter".  I'm going to take that as a compliment.  And try not to get too excited about my results until we enjoy the fruit of our labors.

Madelyn's Nursery

The nursery is finished.  My mom surprised me with the curtains just the other day, of which I immediately went and put up.  We have booted Mocha from her room, of which she wasn't too happy about.  I often find her sprawled out on the white rug in the middle of the room in defiance.  We are still working on where her new "place" will be. 

I apologize also for the pictures.  It's dark all the time now.  And my iPhone on which I took these isn't the most high tech camera, but you get the overall idea. 

This is walking in the door to the nursery.  I love how all the projects came together. Sometimes I get a little concerned with how the ideas in my head will actually turn out in real life. 

The wood rocker painted white.  The armoire completely redone.  The new crib shipped on a barge so I could get it in Alaska.  The painted branch I was able to do for $1.  The mobile of fabric balls I made.  The curtains my mom made.  The black mirror painted white.  The old school bookshelf painted mustard to display all of Maddie's books.    The two smaller rugs from Ikea put together to make one (because that's all I could fit in my suitcase).

There is also the garage sale toy chest painted and furnished with new hinges & handles.  And two shelves that also came home with me in my suitcase from Texas. 

The piano still has a presence in the room, along with the recliner that matches the bachelor pad couches we have downstairs - but I admit will be a comfy place for all the midnight feedings.  I love the light hanging in the corner that gives just enough light off without it being too bright.  Also the etsy pictures framed and hung above the piano, with the wreath (that still has no place) and one of the two mustard M's being sported in the room (one made my me and one by my sister). 

A better view of a couple areas...

And here is a picture taken during the day.  Notice how it's not really bright outside, but that's about the best we get these days. 

I cannot wait to have our little one to put the room to use!  I'm officially in the the waiting game phase now.

Nursery Tree

I have been wanting to put a white tree on the wall in the nursery since the beginning.  And I finally did it, well a branch anyways.  For $1.  Literally.

These popular beautiful wall features in decal form run $60+.  A splurge I was just having a hard time swallowing (I am on a budget for this nursery).  I like to think I'm on my way to becoming a "crafty" person, but free hand drawing is not my strong suit and I couldn't convince my sister, Kelsey, to make a trip all the way to Alaska just to paint a tree on my wall.  I can't understand why.

Thus I improvised.

I just needed a way to somehow get a trace on the wall that I could paint.  Matt was all about buying a projector, but I vetoed that rather quickly.  I mean what in the world would we do with it on a normal day?  Anyways, I realized that my work has a projector they use for meetings.  I kindly asked to borrow it over the weekend...of which I was laughed at and asked "are you serious?", I then had to explain my excellent reason why.  But they were generous and let me take it for a couple days, thankfully.

I then found a branch picture online that I liked and projected it on the wall just as I envisioned it.  It actually worked out better than a decal, I think, because I was able to size it and place it exactly how I wanted it on the wall.

And no, I'm not doing this at 10pm at night. I'm pretty sure it was about 4pm.  It's just that depressingly dark here at that time.  Just about 2 more weeks til the days slowly start becoming longer again.  It's like a Christmas present in and of itself. 

It took me about 20 minutes to trace it with a pencil, one small bottle of acrylic paint from the craft store (where my $1 was spent), and a few hours of my life to carefully paint and erase erroneous pencil markings.

It left me with this above the crib.

I cannot wait for the curtains my mom is making to come to complete the nursery.  Now I'm just working on getting all the necessities washed and ready - and organize where all this baby stuff is going to go.  Goodness, who knew such a little person required so many things?

nursery coming together

Matt and I have been working on finishing up the nursery.  We just have little things left, but time is running short as the holidays approach and we are already 33 weeks!  Wahoo!  Here's a little update of what has been completed.

Remember this TV cabinet we bought off Craigslist? 

It is all finished!  It's probably my favorite piece in the nursery.  Matt painted it, added magnetic strips so the doors would close, built in a shelf (to alleviate the open TV space), and added handles.

Here's an up close of the handles I found at Anthropology while in Seattle.  They go perfect with the nursery.

And inside, in case you were curious, of course.  I found the baskets at a craft store for half off.  I'm kinda an organizational nerd, so the baskets make me happy.  One is full of hats. And one of little shoes.  Sometimes I just rummage through them to bring a little joy to my day.

 And you might remember these prints I found on esty?

They are finally framed and hung above the piano.  I also hung the banner and the "M" my sister made for Madelyn for the baby shower in Texas.  So proud of her craftiness. :)  Also displayed is my Le Mutt, a prized toy from my childhood that has seen better days. 

I also made this wreath for the nursery. Clearly I'm getting a little antsy for Maddie to get here so I'm making up projects to keep myself preoccupied.  I still don't know where it'll be hung.

And a bookshelf which matches the toy chest we found at a garage sale that Matt painted.  I'm pretty sure this bookshelf was found in one of our college dorm rooms at some point.  But that plywood all painted sure does make a great display for all the books Maddie has (and quite a cheap option, since we already had the paint).

I will eventually have a post to show the whole room.  But only when it's all done.  I'm currently working on a baby book...when that's finished...who knows.  Got any ideas?

Toy Chest

There is very little in the nursery that we didn't DIY, fix up, or recycle from another room (other than the crib).  I love that we were able to make it exactly how we wanted it and it sure has kept me busy rather than dwelling on the fact that my jeans probably won't fit again for a loonnng time. 

This summer Matt and I were garage sale-ing one morning and I came across this trunk.  It was full of another person's junk and was being used as a box for "$1 items".  It was nasty and cobwebby and apparently at one point used to store Christmas decor.  I asked if I could take it for $5.  And she gave it to me. Yay!  I love good finds.  

Along the way I primed it down and Matt painted it this lovely yellow color (it's actually more mustardy in person, but these dark winter days kill the natural light for pictures).  It will be Madelyn's toy chest. It's currently empty, but I'm sure over the years it will quickly fill up. 

It's going to go here...eventually...when Mocha is relocated to a new room...which is why it's currently sitting in the middle of the room.  She doesn't really look like she wants to go quite yet, and I'm not going to make her. (And don't mind the bandage on her leg, poor girl is falling apart these days:( )

I also found this amazing, random giraffe while back in Texas.  It's over a foot tall, but I made it fit in our suitcase to come back, no worries (though Matt might have thought I was ridiculous).  I had no plans on incorporating giraffes into the nursery (along with elephants), but I fell in love.  So here he is. :)

Nursery Mobile

I mentioned earlier I had quite the flop at my first attempt to making Maddie's nursery mobile.  I'm kinda embarrassed to even post a picture of my disaster. So I won't.  However, I then found this awesome design for fabric poms here (initially found on pinterest).  Seemed more fool-proof than my last design.  

All it required was:

fabric cut into circles (I used a 3" coaster as my tracer)

Styrofoam balls

hot glue gun

ribbon or something to hang them from

I ended up with 3 different colored fabrics - yellow, orange and gray - 1 yard of each for the two small styrofoam balls and 1 1/2 yards for the larger styrofoam ball.  And I used every inch, I actually planned on doing the two small ones in the same fabric until I realized how much it required.  So I had to take another trip to walmart to pick up another color.  It took an entire day of college football watching to finish these bad boys.  Below is one yard of fabric cut into 3" circles, if you were curious how many it takes.  Quite a few circles if I do say so.

I then just followed the instructions and glued them down as such.  Seems tedious, but after awhile it's easy to zone out and just get in a rhythm.

About 8 in it looked like this...I had a long ways to go.  Good thing we had 3 games to watch.

But after a Saturday of enjoying my Aggies beat Baylor, I had my mobile completed.  Matt helped me hang them the next day and I have to say they look so pretty.  I love the pop of color since it's a rather neutral room. 

I think I'm ready for this crafty, stay-at-home mom gig.