Usually I'm an Inside Girl

I haven't written in forever.  I really wanted to sit on the last post and really let it sink in.  It was important to me.

But a new year has come and a lot is about to change at our house.  I didn't want to overlook a major thing that happened during the interim. 

I will be the first to admit, I'm an inside girl when it comes to my home.  We have spent time and money redoing our kitchen, buying furniture, and even making curtains.  These are all inside things.  And I love every one of them.  There isn't a day that goes by that I am not thankful for the work we have put into our house to make it a home. 

The outside of our house is a different story.  My philosophy is that if it doesn't grow or produce food for us to eat, then why pay attention to it. 

My father in law and I have often talked about the front of our house needing a face lift.  I knew he was right but I never really looked into it further.  This year for Christmas, he surprised us and had our front yard totally re-landscaped.  I have to admit that I wasn't overly excited about it to start with.  But then it was done and I am dumbfounded by how much I really enjoy it every day.  And it's the dead of winter.  We haven't even seen the extent of the beauty yet.  To say that I'm looking forward to spring is an understatement. 

My words can't do it justice so just take a look...

Before  

(just look at those overgrown bushes!)

During

(they ripped every bush out.  They said the root systems were feet deep!)

After

There are so many little touches that these pictures don't do justice but take my word for it.  You would be amazed!



Even though I am an inside girl and would never have done this for myself, I am SOOOOOO thankful that my father in law was so generous to do it for us.  I never thought I would like it so much.  I guess there is always room for a little growth in one's life. 

Big Girl Room - Update

I scoured the area looking for Ainsley's full initials.  For some reason, everywhere was out of K.  I decided to go with her fun name instead.  Here's a picture. 

Big Girl Room

I have been recently working on Ainsley's "Big Girl Room".  I have no plans to move her in there just yet but I wanted her to be able to get used to seeing it before we actually move her in there. 

My vision started with a color.  Purple.  Then I thought about adding butterflies to it.  So I googled Purple Butterfly bedding.  I found this amazingly cute set.

The room that went from blue with an earth tone bedspread with furniture that was unfinished (I should have taken before pictures but it was really almost too embarrassing) has turned into this...

I am going to put her initials on the wall above the bed but need to order them.  Everywhere I went they were out of at least one letter that I need.

The furniture, which was unfinished, was mine when I was a kid.  And before that it was in my grandparents house.  It's really old and I've been trying to get the motivation to refinish it.  Guess I found it.  It's now a pretty white.

The bookshelf is actually a glass case with the glass removed.  Right now it has knickknacks on it but it will hold books and stuffed animals once she moves in.

This desk is actually a vanity.  It has a mirror but it needs new glass and it needs to be painted.  I'll be working on that in a bit.  One of my favorite things about this room is that wicker stool.  And that lamp needs a new shade.  I'm working on it!

Her favorite part of this room is this pink hook rug that I got at Target.  I envision her playing on it for years to come. 

And now comes the hard part of forcing her to be a baby for as long as I can.  This mama isn't ready to let go.

Big Girl House

Lately I've been feeling like my house isn't a grown up house.  I am not really sure why because we have a lot of nice things.  We just remodeled our kitchen as well. But I go into other people's homes and I feel like our home is inadequate.  I know comparison is a horrible thing and I really shouldn't do it.  If you have any tricks on how not to do it, please let me know.

I think one of the main causes of this feeling for me has been our kitchen table.  We have slowly been ridding our home of our college furniture and I believe with the purchase of a new kitchen table we are finally done.

We have gone from college...

To a temporary stop back in middle school...

To a Big Girl House...

With the transition we are also putting away the high chair.  Just another sign that my baby isn't a baby anymore.  I think a toddler is another sign that I'm a big girl now. 

I Big Red Heart My New Kitchen

As many of you know, we have been remodeling our kitchen for the past few months. It's been a project of phases. 4 to be exact. First we ripped down a cabinet. Then we tiled the floor. Then we put in granite counter tops. Finally, we added trim to the cabinet doors and repainted them, replaced the drawers, and painted under the chair rail.

It's been a turbulent couple months of tearing down and rebuilding, BUT it's so worth it. I love it! And it didn't cost the $20K that we were originally quoted. This was a kitchen remodel on a budget, but you could never tell.

Let's tell the story in pictures....

The Cabinets Before...
The Cabinets After...

The Eat In Before...

The Eat In After...

The View From the Family Room Before...

The View From the Family Room After...

The Left Side of the Kitchen Before...

The Left Side of the Kitchen After...

The View In Before...

The View In After...

So as you can see, there were some big changes, some little changes, some paint, some hardware, some sweat, and some love. All of that leads to a kitchen that I can't wait to use...Oh and I'll be using it prepping for our Christmas party on December 19th! Happy Unwrapping to me!