{Kitchen…Part 1}

We love our new house.  Making it “ours” has been fun, but slow.  After living here for about a year and a half, we are finally getting to some of the kitchen changes we’ve been wanting to do.

My inspiration was a kitchen from Kitchen Lab.  Have you seen Rebekah Zaveloff’s designs?  I’ll take one of each please! Her kitchen designs are my inspiration.  And I love the white island, dark cabinets, stainless appliances, school house lights, and light granite of her Chicago Ave. project…

 

 

Eclectic Kitchen design by Chicago Kitchen And Bath Rebekah Zaveloff

Here’s my plan…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’re working on the white cabinets to the right as we speak.  It’s made up of two Hemnes glass door cabinets with drawers from IKEA.  Solid wood, and we love it, but we have some work to do to get it looking a little more custom.

 

Picking out paint is a messy job.

But, I think I’ve narrowed it down.  I think.

{It’s Been Quiet…hasn’t it?}

After a few month hiatus, and after actually considering shutting it down, I’m back.  I guess I should say, “we’re back.”  There are a couple of things I have learned in my first year of blogging that I thought I would share:

1.) My blog isn’t perfect and it doesn’t claim to be.  And although I hate it as much as you do, there will be spelling and grammar mistakes.  I try really hard not to have them, but I am often writing these posts late at night after I’ve worked 10+ hours, cooked dinner, bathed a child, cleaned a house, and graded papers.  I do it because I really like it, and need the creative outlet.  It helps me be me.  I do it to share, to communicate with people, and to reach out…not to make money or to become famous.  I’ve made about $200 this year from my blog, which has paid for a few gallons of paint.  It’s definitely not profitable.

2.) It will be at a slower pace.  It’s expensive to do all the projects we want to do, and we just don’t always have the money.  I have a wish list that is a mile long, but a very small budget.  Yes, we try to do things on the cheap to save money, but it all still costs money to do even some of the smallest projects.

3.) Sometimes, I just don’t know what to do, or what to write about.  I experienced major writer’s block this summer…I was paralyzed.  I kept asking, “What’s my next move?  Where do I go from here?”  I was overwhelmed, and quite honestly, nothing inspired me.  I read a lot of DIY blogs, and some seem to write about just about everything under the sun, which I think is great, but I just don’t feel my life is that interesting. 

4.) I’m adding more to my plate, and not taking anything away.  I’m a bit crazy…I know this.  Raising “the kid” plus all the rest makes me...busy, but happy.  I’m happiest when I’m busy and doing lots.  I am currently in a program to get an add on certificate for school administration, working full time (starting back in three days), teaching at the local community college, and I’ve started swimming again.  My swimming goal…Nationals Short Course Meet in May of 2013!  I am ready to compete again, plus I moved to a new age group…35-40 years.  Ha!  Wasn’t it just yesterday I was an 8 and under?  It certainly, feels like it.

5.) I’m gluten and dairy free.  I am not really sure if I have an actual allergy to any of those things, but it’s been a great change for me, and I’ve felt pretty good physically.  I’ve lost about 10 pounds, too.  I’d like to lose more, and my goal is to lose 30 more, but slow and steady is the goal. 

Current projects…

• Kitchen updates…lighting, countertops, tile backsplash, additional cabinetry
• Morning Room / Play Room organization…shelving, shelving, shelving
• Curtains…must sew more
• Art for the den…sunny is the inspiration

Oh, and by the way…thanks for all of your emails!  I’ve appreciated those of you who have reached out wondering where I’ve been.

Our Crazy To Do List

I’m back!  Well, kind of…I’m really just ready to share our plans!

I am happy to report that I submitted my last paper two nights ago and I have my last college class to teach tomorrow (which has been the most fantastic experience)…and with only 14 days left of school (but I’m not counting), things are starting to wind down around here.  Winding down for me means winding up for home projects.  So, I started thinking again, and a lengthy list was born.  This list has been lingering back there in the back of my brain – Justin wonders if I ever turn it off.  And I have to be honest…no it doesn’t.

Special occasions usually get me going on getting our “to do” list completed…at least started.  I’m hosting a baby shower for one of my dear friend in two weeks, and it’s time to start thinking about sprucing this place up and some “summer projects!” 

So, here is our list in no particular order:

1.  Paint the dining room – Restoration Hardware’s Silver Sage
2.  Paint the den – Sherwin Williams Ancient Marble
3.  Curtains in the den
4.  Curtains in the dining room
5.  Stain the deck
6.  Finish the new flower bed out front
7.  Plant all my annuals in their pots
8.  Plant an ornamental tree in our front flower bed
9.  Add wainscoting and built-ins in the dining room
10.  Organize the play room
11.  Add built-ins in the den
12.  Do something with the kitchen island – I’m thinking paint
13.  Add more cabinetry in the kitchen…with glass and the same paint as the island
14.  Paint the master bedroom – color is undecided
15.  Paint Jack’s room – color is undecided
16.  Paint the laundry room – Sherwin Williams Sea Salt
17.  Add cabinetry in the laundry room
18.  Change up the mirrors in the master bathroom
19.  Build a chalkboard calendar for the mudroom
20.  Build wooden flower boxes for the summer mantle

And this is my Wish List
(Which really means: probably not happening now, this summer, or anytime soon for that matter…because funds need to be saved!) :
1.  Honed travertine countertops for the kitchen.
2.  Butcher block wood countertop on the island.
3.  Hardwood floors in the family room and play room.
4.  New sofa for the den, with linen upholstery.

We haven’t been just sitting around here writing papers…we’ve done a lot outside!  I’m almost ready to take some pictures to share with you all.  Justin laid about 8 yards of mulch last weekend (front and back), and relocated sod.  It was a BIG job, but it looks fantastic!

Erin

{It takes time…}

We have finally finished our transom windows and I just had to share!  I really couldn’t wait any longer. 

Transom windows are typical in older homes that were built before air conditioning, and usually opened to allow ventilation of the room.  Our DIY versions do not move, but we feel they add some architectural detail to our new home…which we feel gives our house little bit more charming character.

In other words…I love them.  I do. I do. I do.  Justin has really out done himself and I’m really proud of his work!  I think he loves them, too. 

Here’s our before…

And after…

The glass is a clear glass, but it has some texture to that makes it look like old antique glass that you would find in older homes.  When we lived in Chicago, our apartment had original woodwork trim (just like what we recreated here) with beautiful French doors.  The glass was wavy and I loved it!  The glass we chose for this project looks almost exactly like what I remembered from our first place together…we knew immediately that we found the right stuff!

I’m currently working on a “How To” post! Stayed tuned.

Hope you all are having a great weekend! 

{Because Inquiring Minds Want to Know!}

I have received a lot of questions about some of our projects and what tools and/or advice we would give.  Here’s a list of tips, answers to questions, and product suggestions (or at least what we have used). 

1. Be patient.  If it doesn’t look right…take it down and try again.
2. You’re NOT going to “ruin” your house.  We still have to work on this one.  We really don’t want to ruin our house, and sometimes a project scares us just because we may ruin something.  We’ve been pretty lucky, and haven’t had any major problems…but if we do, I think we will get through it (maybe with a little help from a professional if needed).
3. Be creative!
4. Go for it…sometimes what scares you the most, will be the most rewarding!
5. What is lattice? We used lattice on our Rast Hack drawers, to trim out the sides of our Mudroom, and to our Door Casings.  It is a thin (1/4 inch) piece of pine wood that comes in two sizes.  We get ours from Home Depot or Lowes, and it is usually found in the back of the store with the trim, casings, and moldings.  If you can’t find it, just ask someone…and they will help you out!
   
6. Crown Molding – Product Suggestion:  We found a product this past summer that was a crown molding that was reversible.  This meant you could cut your angled compound miter and then flip the other side for a perfect fit.  We found ours at Lowe’s.  It is called Flip Face, and it is also found in the molding section, as well.
7. Tips on crown molding.  Justin found a great website to help him set his saw here.
   
8. What tape do you use?  Frog Tape…it’s green and perfect in every way.  You can use it on fabric or walls, and you will always have a perfect line.  Skip the blue, and go for green.  Trust me!
9. What stain did you use  on the Mudroom Bench?  I mix 1 part (or one small can) of  English Chestnut with 1 part (or one small can) of Special Walnut.  This mix seems to compliment the wood floors and cabinetry in our house.
10. Where did you get the corbels you used on your mudroom?  Home Depot!  They are the best.  Layla used them on her kitchen cabinets at The Lettered Cottage and Young House Love just used them on their open shelving in their newly remodeled kitchen.  And for$8.86…they are must have item when doing a shelving unit of any type…including our mudroom.
11. How did you paint your mudroom?  We used a roller and a paint brush.  Sprayers scare me.  I’ve heard they can be finicky and can clog.  Our favorite paint brushes are Purdy.  We ALWAYS add Floetrol (for latex paint) to our paint to extend drying time and which alleviates streaks and brush marks!
12. Tools We Can’t Live Without
    1. Skil Saw Compound Miter: We got ours from Lowe’s.  (Christmas gift from my mom.)  It was about $70.
    2. Evolve Nail Gun and Compressor:  We got ours from Sears.  It is a Craftsman Evolve and was about $80 for the compressor and gun.
    3. Dremel MultiMax:  This is a great, multiuse tool.  Justin cut all of our baseboards when doing the casings with this tool.  The Dremel was about $90.
13. Is your header new?  Did you use Picnik?  What are you going to do when it’s gone?  Yes, I change my header all of the time.  I think I finally have it the way I want it.  I used Picnik and Picasa together.  I have no idea what I’m going to use when Picnik goes bye-bye…but I will probably shed a tear or two.

Quick Header Tutorial:
-First, I make sure my pic is the right width is pixels.  My blog calls for a 1050 pixels heading picture for it to fit centered.
-Then, I used the shapes for the borders.
-Then I added text.  When I find a color I like, I write the number down so I can use it in blogger for my titles, links, and widgets.

I hope I answered some of your questions!  If I haven’t answered a question, shoot me an email at acharmingnest@gmail.com!  I will try to get back to you as soon as possible!

 

{This is progress…}

I’ve got nothing.  No deep thoughts.  No inspirational quotes.  No fun little tidbits.  But, I can tell you, I’ve been busy.  It’s been a little crazy around here, and I can honestly say that one word that comes to my mind the most is “overwhelmed.”  Most of my pressures seem to come from school…school as in “my job” and school as in “me as student” and school as in “the college class I am attempting to teach.”  I’ve got a paper about “unequal childhoods” due this Friday and lessons to write and develop for the college class that I’m teaching about “finding your inner motivation”. 

Some days I feel as though I’m Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz perpetually stuck in the spin of the tornado whirling through life.  I tell myself that “I must slow down.”  I want to slow down.  I must learn the magic word…no.  I’ve heard that it’s a pretty mighty word.  And may I ask…then why is that word so hard to say? 

We do have some progress to share with all of you!  And I’m so excited!  We have added door casings to two entry ways in our house.  One leads into “The Kid’s” play room (our morning room) and the other leads into our kitchen.

Here are some before pictures…

And here they are with the added casings…

Then we got to thinking that we could add non-moving transom windows.  They are high entries, so it seemed like a pretty good idea.  So, we went with it.

Before we added the lattice around the edges, as described in this post, we built a rectangle with 1x3’s…

Now, our glass is on order and we’re playing the waiting game.  More is coming soon…I promise, but we are loving the way this looks even without the glass.  Sometimes it’s the little things that make us swoon…and for me, it’s this.

The inspiration?  Edie at Life in Grace blog…it’s one of my favorite blogs.  She is so smart.  So interesting.  So smart.  So creative.  So honest.  So real.  Did I say she was smart?  She’s inspirational…losing it all, then finding even more, all while keeping her grace.  She recently did a post about “Shame” and “Grace for the good girl.”  It’s deep.  Smart.  And it spoke to me.

On more superficial topics…her kitchen…is to die for.  Breathtaking.  Not to mention, our inspiration for transom windows.  Look closely in the back, at those two entries.   See what I see?  They have windows!

Love.

Source: 31 Days|Day 29 The Kitchen, her highness

Her kitchen is the queen.  And I love everything about it.  Thank you, Edie.  Thank you, for giving me inspiration to be me, to keep writing (even if you all are silently correcting my grammar), to keep sharing…and for allowing me to enjoy your grace.

{…because sometimes a girl just needs a cookie.}

I’ve been eating gluten and dairy free for about one month now.  I’ve been pretty strict about it, too.  I have seen some pretty dramatic changes in how I feel and in my skin…and I couldn’t be more pleased. 

A few things that have helped me eliminate these two very common ingredients from my diet:

1.) So Delicious Original Coconut Milk Coffee Creamer

It’s creamy.  It’s delicious.  I don’t miss my 2% milk.  The only time I really drank milk was in my coffee.  Now I can substitute this and I don’t miss a thing.

2.) LaraBar (Cherry Pie and Peanut Butter + Jelly) and Kind Bars

Thank goodness for these energy packed bars.  I usually don’t have time to eat breakfast in the mornings…I’m usually out the door by 6:30 a.m.  So, these are perfect for “passing period” snacks…along with a banana, in the morning at school.

3.) Lots of fruits and veggies. 

4.) Trader Joes.  Their products are well marked, and they have a variety of items.  So far, I love the beef tamales!

5.) Brown rice.  It’s good with all sorts of veggies and meat…I love it.

6.) And once in a while, because sometimes a girl just needs a cookie…I make these:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Gluten/Dairy Free Cookies

Recipe:

2/3 Cup Chocolate Peanut Butter (I used Peanut Butter and Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams.)
1/3 Cup Peanut Butter
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
2/3 Cup White Sugar
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients together and place in fridge for about 10 minutes to allow batter to stiffen up a bit.

Using a teaspoon place small cookie batter portions on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for about 10-13 minutes. Batter should make about one dozen cookies…but that depends on the size of your cookies.  Larger cookies take about 14 minutes, smaller cookies take 10 minutes to bake.

Cookies will be soft to the touch when coming out of the oven.  Let cool for about 5-10 minutes before transferring them a plate.  Enjoy!

My recipe was altered a bit from Gluten Free Girl and The Chef…but the inspiration for this cookie came from them.

Now, it’s time to watch the SUPER BOWL!  Indianapolis has put on quite a show!