kitchen reno: week 7

Well friends,

still no kitchen sink.

BUT,

we did score some free laundry room shelves, courtesy of my Pop!

Thanks, Dad, for the awesome shelving that will allow my OCD self to have a spot for all things 'laundry' related, as well as the lovely containers that hold my spray paint, light bulbs, and extension cords.

There's even a rod for hanging clothes (super pumped about that).

And no, I didn't stay up all night organizing all things 'laundry' so my shelves aren't pretty yet, but that's coming. I also scored some vinyl on Pick Your Plum the other day, so the inside of the laundry room will be getting one sweet makeover soon.

Have you heard?

I have a laundry room.

A ROOM, I tell ya...

{happy dance commencing again}

In other kitchen news, I've been looking at fabrics to use in the space and have  lots of beautiful options.

Here are my faves:

found HERE

found HERE

found HERE

found HERE

found HERE

found HERE

found HERE

Whatcha think?

Any favorites among those?

In the beginning, I was dead set on using only turquoise and white in the space,

but now that I've had a chance to really think about it, the last 3 options are in the lead. I've still have a little time to think about window treatments and banquette cushions and whatnot, but at least I'm narrowing down my search a bit.

And...

in other news entirely,

I didn't mention Design Star yesterday.

Can you believe they sent 2 people home?

To be honest, I really thought Meg was gettin' the boot.

What on earth was she doing with her time?

She had 2 quasi-rooms!

Karl had the entire master and was able to accomplish several projects within his space. Mark had 2 entire rooms, and big ones at that. The dining room and living room looked fab. Loved the records on the wall.

How was it that Meg's spaces (foyer & stair landing) were so incredibly sparse and really not finished?

If you're throwing pillows on the floor when time is called, you ain't done.

Glad Kelly got to stay, but when all the kid asked for was bunk beds, maybe she should have bought some bunk beds.

Am I right?

For those of you who watch Design Star,

what were your thoughts?

Tuesday randoms

Hello friends.

Somber today.

Lots going on.

I snapped some pics of my house this morning because the chaos of our surroundings describes my feelings today pretty well...

This is my bathroom vanity.

Without a functioning kitchen, things tend to migrate to the next available surface.

Sippy cups,

dishes,

Clorox wipes,

books,

toys,

facewash.

It's all there...

The playroom.

A place where toys should be,

but...

when everything else can be containerized once playtime is over,

things like bikes,

and strollers,

and horses,

and lawn mowers

cannot.

Need to find a better location for this 'big stuff'.

The dining room.

Still serving as the place we eat every meal and snack.

I'm seriously afraid we're going to ruin this room before the kitchen is finished. Almost every chair has had some form of food or drink smeared into its cushions. Have I told you the dining room furniture was the ONLY brandspankin new 'BIG' purchase we made when we moved into the house?

As in,

it's still practically brandspankin new?

Not anymore...

And on a much lighter I'm-not-gonna-complain-anymore note-

looky where the girls decided to spend some playtime last night.

There's usually a big toy basket in that spot, but E shoved it outta the way and she and MM had a grand time using the end table as a fort.

Sweet girls.

I miss them something fierce now that school has started.

And speaking of school...

I'm still planning to share pics of my newly decorated classroom,

just have a few more things to get up on the walls.

In the meantime, please enjoy the view from my desk.

I've been uber-productive today clearing piles and filing and putting away.

Hoping to continue this at home tonight.

Any of you being super productive on this Tuesday?



weekend recap

Happy Monday to you friends!

How was your weekend?

Mine was full of playtime with my kiddos with a Girl's night out on the side.

Lovely.

Our restaurant of choice for Saturday night was Chuck's, which is downtown.
Not taking into account that it was rush weekend,
and there was a talent search going on at the theatre 1 block down,
and Steely Dan was in concert at the amphitheatre,
and downtown is already a pretty happening place to be...
our wait time for a table was an hour + 45 min.
(But it was totally worth it)

Here's our group outside.

Waiting...

(Lisa, MK, Renee, Jamie T, DeJuana, Jamie H, Melanie, Kathryn + Annie Ruth)

Thanks to the gal who took our pic who also happened to be waiting for a table.

More people.

Waiting...

See the gal in black?

To the far right of the photo?

She yelled at us for sitting in chairs.

That's right folks.

There are tables right outside the restaurant where some folks were sitting as they waited, and once their name was called, they offered the tables + chairs to us.

We had our bootys in them for all of 3 minutes when that woman came out of the restaurant next to Chuck's and began yelling at us for sitting in her tables.

Didn't we know they were for HER customers?

Not Chuck's customers??

Well, no.

We didn't.

Hence the sitting...

Lesson learned.

Don't even think about sitting in those chairs if you're waiting for your table at Chuck's.

The view inside.

More people.

Lots and lots of people.

Most of them waiting.

And this, my friends, this is part of what made the wait totally worth it-

Uptown Shrimp.

Sorry for the dark photo.

I detest flash.

And this bacon avocado roll.

Also worth it.

Yum.

And this bread pudding.

Totally worth waiting an hour + 45 min.

Totally.

Before leaving, we were also treated to several outbursts of,

"ROLL TIDE", from another patron who had maybe had one too many.

He became a bit perturbed when not everyone in the entire place yelled it back at him.

Ah...the joys of living in a college town with a top-ranked football team.

Such a fun memorable night that was, right ladies?

Can't wait til next time!

Fast-forward to Sunday morning...

The Sunday School classes at church all promoted last week so Oliver is now in the class where I help with opening assembly.

 Such sweet kiddos in our class.

Can't believe that when he leaves this class he'll be headed to the youth group.

(gulp)

After church we had a delicious meal at my grandparents house and then headed home to put the girls down for a nap. Oliver and I watched Up!, and I must admit- it was the first time I'd seen it. I have no idea why I'd never watched it before, but oh golly goodness what a sweet story! (And when I say 'sweet story', what I really mean is 'tear-jerker'. Am I right?)

Still waiting on a kitchen sink.

Still rinsing sippies in the bathroom.

Still tracking dust through the house.

Still holding on to my sanity though...

just barely.

Hope your Monday is awesomesauce!



Happy Friday...

from the 2 girls fighting over a book and the boy wrapping the (fake) snake around his neck.

And me.

Yes, the playroom is a disaster, but that's what it's supposed to be, right?

I'll sing "Spoonfull of Sugar" when I get home today and we'll have fun watching the toys jump into the baskets and bins by themselves.

Any of you have fun plans for the weekend?

I'm looking forward to a GNO with my Sunday School gals tomorrow night.

Also looking forward to (hopefully) sleeping late tomorrow.

This getting-back-into-school-routine is wearing me out...

Have a lovely weekend friends!



thrifty finds

Did a lil' thrifting on Saturday.

The thrift store was the MOST crowded its ever been when I've been there, which made for difficult maneuvering of a double stroller.

Needless to say, we didn't stay long, but I did manage to grab a few goodies before escaping the madness of the crowd-

Love finding a good read for not a lot of money.

Here's what I brought home:

1. Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes

2. True Believer by Nicholas Sparks

3. The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

4. I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron

5. The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning

6. The Beatles by Bob Spitz 

7. The Shabby Chic Home by Rachel Ashwell

8. The Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting and Decorating Guide by Rachel Ashwell

9. A Continual Feast by Jan Karon

Also picked up these two glass domes and this fabulous white pitcher.

After leaving the thrift store, the kids and I headed straight for the mall. About 3 seconds after stepping into Belk, I saw this on a display table-

Can you guess what my next DIY will be?

Not sure how I'd go about recreating that silver stand, but there are a few pieces I'll be looking for to create something similar.

BTW- the glass domes I picked up at the thrift store were 1.48 and 1.98. The price of the piece you see above (which is Arthur Court) is $65.

Looking forward to knocking it off on a budget.

So....

have any of you been thrifting lately?

Find any goods you'd like to share?

Are you a book fiend like me?

Did anyone else out there love watching Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic as much as I did?

Do tell.

kitchen reno: week 6

Glory Hallelujah we have cabinets.

They're gawgeousss.

Since they still don't have their tops, I'm hesitant to show a full body shot because they still look a bit nekkid,

however,

I want to show you my favorite parts.

Remember-

we haven't had actual honest-to-God cabinetry in 3 years.

I'm a bit giddy.

This is the honkin' huge corner piece that required us to take the front door off of its hinges just to get it in the house.

Sheesh.

But ain't it a beaut?

And it's huge inside,

as in it holds the giant drink dispenser we use for parties and such.

Never had a place to store that before.

Love the foldy corner door.

I'm easily amused.

Also diggin this pull out pot thingy.

Yes, that's the technical term.

No more having to hang our big pots from the ceiling because the old cabinets were too small for them.

I'm doing a happy dance.

Wish you could see it.

And see that little doo-hickey?

It means no slammed cabinet doors

EVAH.

It stops the door in its tracks and slowly allows it to close.

Pure awesomesauce.

I knew the drawers would have that function but wasn't aware it would be on the cabinet doors as well.

Another happy dance folks.

Specifically requested this one for our pizza pans cookie pans baking sheets, you know, since we cook pizza cookies really healthy stuff on them a lot.

And this?

Well this made me so happy I could have peed a little.

This means no more ginormous trash can sitting out in the kitchen. These babies stay tucked away in their own little cabinet.

I'm in love.

I may or may not have stayed up super late organizing our kitchen stuff and putting it all neatly back into place.

Again,

I may or may not have.

We also have a laundry room.

No more washer and dryer slung out in the kitchen.

Hubs installed the doors and to be sure there was enough clearance along the bottom, he grabbed a few pieces of our flooring which will be installed in about a week. The laundry doors will be sporting the same hardware as the cabinets once they're painted.

E is also super excited about the whole thing.

Maybe that's why she stays up so late-

she can't stop looking at the kitchen.

See those little bare feet?

They make dusty little footprints on hardwood, FYI.

Ready for some flooring.

For now, our dining room is slowly becoming decluttered after the removal of most of the boxes.

The light at the end?

It's getting brighter, my friends!

Hope you're having an excellent Wednesday!



Meet Libby

Hello friends!

Today I want to introduce you to a friend of mine who recently opened up an etsy shop.

Meet Libby-

She's the blondie beside me, and yes....

this picture was taken many moons ago.

Libby and I went to high school together, did community theatre together, and even spent a few years in college together at Montevallo. The above pic of us was taken during a run of State Fair with Theatre Tuscaloosa in 2000.

Sheesh I was thin.

Here's a more recent photo of her with a friend-

Isn't she fabulous?

Libby recently opened up an etsy shop where she sells jewelry that she makes, and lemme tell ya, folks,

it's awesomesauce.

Check this out:

How gorgeous is that? And only $15!

LOVE this necklace + earring set.

'Reading can be Fun'.

You got that right.

I want this now.

And...

she has cuffs and bracelets too-

Purple + green prettiness for $7,

and,

for all you Alabama fans, this set screams,

"Roll Tide!"

Here's a little info on the designer herself:

  Libby (Prendergast) Medicus, from Tuscaloosa AL, currently living in Birmingham AL. I work as a Reimbursement Analyst for an audit firm.

Q- When did you start designing jewelry? Why?

A-  I have been making/designing jewelry since I was a child but I really expanded my abilities at Bama Beads in Tuscaloosa. The store is no longer there but I learned alot from those ladies.

Q- Tell us something about yourself that most people may not know.

A-  You probably don't know that I do not have a degree in Finance (based on my 9-5 job). I have a BS in Theater from the University of Montevallo

***

That just goes to show you that you never know where you might find an actress. Haha!

To check out Libby's shop, Suzy and Filbert, click HERE, and be sure to add it to your favorites!

***
Can't wait to update you on the kitchen.
It's actually starting to resemble a kitchen again.
Amen.

***
SPOILER ALERT
If you DVR Design Star and haven't watched yet (*cough cough, Mallory*) you might want to skip this part.

And friends, the time came last night on Design Star to bid a fond farewell,
or just a farewell,
to her-

Her quote of the night-

"Well, I've had my wedding published in three national magazines..."

yada yada yada.

Sheesh.

Her contributions to the reception were just plain sad.

Ah well...

good-bye, Cathy!

Have fun bossing someone else around!

Have a great Tuesday everyone!