The Kitchen Before and After

Since I'm sitting in the kitchen doing dishes and laundry in the next room I thought I'd share pictures of the kitchen...

Before and After
We've had to get a microwave since it didn't come with one and a fridge. We eventually replaced the stove (the one that come with the house was so basic it didn't even have a clock) and the dishwasher (we found it wasn't handling the hard water we had).

We changed out the faucet to get the kind that had the spray hose attached to the nozzle. LOVE IT!! Added a garbage disposal and switch. It's kinda weird - the light is on the right of the sink and the disposal switch on the left. Then went the light fixtures - I thought the gold was a little 80's. Since the same lights are through out the house we did the entire house at the same time to make sure they all matched. I added a 5 light to the kitchen - the three was pathetic and we had to hang it higher since Mike is almost 6' 4" and hits hid head on it all the time. I also fell in love with a brushed nickel switch plate and redid the plain white through out the kitchen (and the house).

While Mike was away for one of his training trips I got on the counter and ladder and painted the kitchen an awesome Mountain Trail color from Lowes. I wanted to counter act the dark chocolate in the living room but stay warm and go darker than the tan in the living room. He didn't mind the surprise - he hates painting!


If hadn't noticed already I'm into the country style and collecting plates :) Can't have enough of those funky plates with the most loving sayings!




My next plan is to add a peninsula addition where the garbage can is and give us more counter space. This will help with the pots and pans too - there's no where to put anything! We've priced out the peninsula but now have to wait on saving enough to get it!

Yes, I know you saw the computer desk area on the right in the first picture BUT I use that entire area for the computer and all my business stuff. This way I don't take up the dinning room with an office.

Well I thought that I wasn't doing much but then.... I'd like to strangle the person who built my house... It had to be a man, there is no way a woman would have designed the kitchen!! I just spent the last hour trying to remove shelves and clean my fridge - shouldn't be an issue except that I can't get the fridge door open wide enough since there is a wall on the fridge side blocking the handle. Now it has been suggested that I didn't measure the fridge before buying and that its really the handle on the fridge that's causing the problem BUT who the heck brings home a fridge to test it out thinking the handle would become an issue??? I should be open to fully open both my doors and reach in. NOPE.

Right now its in the corner with the freezer fully accessible and the fridge door against the wall - therefore it hits AND what makes it worse is that I got this fridge -when we moved in 2 years ago - thinking the huge bay door holders would be wonderful. Well (see how the door is open in the picture - that's how far it opens) once I get my boobs past the door shelves I can reach in the fridge but I end up with bruises on the poor things LMAO.

Now that we've had it for 2 years I've removed the soda (holds a 12 pack) shelf since neither of us really drink soda and Amber doesn't at all. I've taken out one of the bottom drawers too to give us another shelf to store milk and orange juice since we go through it so often we normally have 2 in the fridge at the time. It also has a great shelf that folds in on itself making it a half shelf. So I pushed that shelf and one more close by to give it to Amber for her cheese sticks, pudding, yogurt and more and be able to see it all and reach it.

Enough babbling - I think the cleaning products have gotten to me lol - thanks for listening to me and .... Note to mom: Yes I know I need to go grocery shopping, stop yourself from emailing me - I'm on it! lol

Redesigning without spending alot of money...

This is my goal this month - Mike says for the year lol. I want to redo the house - we've been in it 2 years this coming April and I haven't finished the bedroom/bathroom/hallway or laundryroom. So my goal is to pick one room and work on it. Not a bad idea but it always costs more than I think in the end. So my second part of the goal is not to spend money.

How do you do that? Not easily lol. I've watched alot of HGTV and spent time online looking at how they've spruced things up for little. But all I can think is that I don't have that great of a talent.

I decided to start on the bedroom. I took a peek at what I had and what I wanted. The obvious was that I had the king size bed, comforter set, full length mirror, tv, a theme in mind that I started with (ocean,lighthouse). What do I need... easier to say what I had... A bed (headboard,footboard), matching dressers and nightstands, shelves, lamps, curtains...

I've rearranged the furniture already but it seems odd now lol - I'll have to take pictures and get ideas from you!!

These are rooms I've done for our house already - chocolate/tan alternating walls, burgundy dining room, tan kitchen -

This is the Entry Way - All chocolate walls - our wedding invite is on the wall, we had a family friend custom make this as a wedding gift, and if you hadn't noticed I'm into purple and fairies but it ends there... I go country modern in the rest of the house.
























This is our living room - I did alternating walls here for the chocolate and light tan walls.





Slate grey furniture and darker wood pieces go great in here. I just need recessed lighting since we have none in the cieling in here! Builders - they never put anything in (shaking head)



Of course we have the tv on the wall and the xbox rock band in the corner of the room lol








I custom made our frame over the half wall to the basement.
"Sometimes in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives you a fairy tale"









Next time I'll have to show you all 4 Amber Rooms (meaning each house we've owned we have done a room for Amber)