Bon Appetit - Updating Before the Dream!

I love cooking. I love trying new recipes and cooking "tried and true" recipes. I enjoy collecting cookbooks and love lingering in kitchen areas of stores. I may even have a slight obsession with Le Creuset and kitchen tools. Despite these loves, I craved a kitchen that was not updated. And, so did Z. We wanted a kitchen that needed "lots of love." Why? We wanted a house that needed "love" so we could put our own touches on it. We had the same philosophy with the kitchen. We wanted a kitchen that needed love so that some day it could become our dream kitchen. While, it will cost us quite a bit of money to do, it will be worth it. 

In the last few months, Young House Love posted their reasoning and justification for painting their cabinets and updating their cabinet hardware. They discussed how for a fraction of the cost, they could give their kitchen an update look while they saved money for their dream kitchen.

Before we get to the updating that we have done, let's take a scroll to look back at where our kitchen has come from. (Thank you, Zillow, for still having pictures of our house up!) 

Before - Kitchen looks into dining room.

Before - Dining room looking into kitchen.

Before - Dining Room 

Before - Kitchen

Before - Looking into Kitchen from Dining Room

The pictures above are pretty much how we bought the house. The exception is that the living room was all tan - not green as seen above. We bought it with yellow sponge painting and all. In my dream kitchen, I have imagined either having dark black cabinets or light gray cabinets, like the ones seen at IKEA. While we have years to decide what cabinets will actually be installed, we decided for the present time we would do some updating of our kitchen. A couple hundred books over years seemed manageable. 

To update the kitchen and dining room, we decided to:

• Paint the Kitchen Walls
• Prime & Paint the Kitchen Cabinets 
• Replace drawer pulls 
• Paint the Dining Room Walls
• Paint the Trim in both rooms
• Replace outlets, lights, and vent covers
• New window treatments (Thanks, Mom!)
• Flooring

Below, are the pictures of what our kitchen looks like now. It is amazing what under $100 can do! 

Kitchen - Cabinets Primed & Painted 

Kitchen looking into dining room.

Z added a shelf for cookbooks. Red island from Hickory
Dickory (First Friday) & wine cooler from eBay!

Dining Room - Painted

Dining Room - Painted 

Dining Room - New light fixture. (Christmas / graduation
gift from E's Mom.)

I have absolutely loved what a difference the updates have made in these spaces. Z loved the light that was in the dining room, so I suspect that it will reappear somewhere in our house someday. Perhaps in the man bathroom?! What you can't notice in the pictures is that the granite countertops where the mixer is located at is not even! The previous owner chose beautiful counters but it was not installed properly. Also, almost each of the large tiles in the kitchen is cracked! Again, it was not installed correctly. Knowing that we will be living with this kitchen for a few years, we are debating what flooring options we will consider. Right now, it is between replacing the grout between the tiles to clean it up, or using a faux wood "peel and stick" in the room.

In the upcoming months, we plan on retouching the trim to freshen it up and possibly replace the fan that is located in the kitchen. As we continue to use and cook in our kitchen, it gives us the chance to think about what we really want in our dream kitchen. Oh, the possibilities!

There are so many fun kitchen gadgets, accessories, and things to plan for in a kitchen. What is your favorite kitchen thing? What would you have in your dream kitchen? I'd love to hear what you love or would add into yours!

Stairway to Potential

It was around this time last year that we began to get very serious about our house hunt. It just seemed as though things were lining up to make it a great time to start looking a bit more seriously. When we met our outstanding realtor, Tom, I felt as though we were on the latest HGTV House Hunters episode. We were asked what were the things that we weren't willing to settle on, things we would be OK compromising with, and what was on our ideal wish list. 

Cue to the part of the episode where the realtor tells the prospective home buyers that they may not be able to get everything that they want in their home, and to be prepared for it. Our list wasn't astronomical, but there were things we wanted both in our "won't budge" list and "dream" list.

On our "won't budge" list, we had:

• A basement
• At least 1 car garage
• Decent sized yard
• Minimum 3 Bedrooms
• Good school district 

On our wish list, we had:

• The things listed above on our "won't budge" list
• 1.5+ Bathrooms
• 3+ Bedrooms 
• Dining Room area
• Hardwood floors
• Fenced yard
• Close to E & Z's work

I am sure we had more, but these were the "must have" and "dreams" we had listed. Fast forward to our house. We were pleasantly surprised that we got all of the things we had on our "won't budge" and "wish" list! The one that I was the most surprised to get off of our wish list was having over three bedrooms. Since we live away from the area that we grew up, having a guest bedroom / office was ideal. That way, when we have visitors (which we love hosting!) we had a place for them to stay. No hotel needed! 

Unfortunately, over the last months, the 4th bedroom has become our "catch all" room. YIKES. It was a disaster, to say the least. But, its location next to the attic and up another flight of stairs, made it great to keep things in before we could organize it. Perfect to close the door and the mess. It was one of my goals over my Winter Break to organize this room and make it a bit more functional. I am excited to see the progress in this room! 

This room has a far way to come, even from where it is right now. Out of all of the bedrooms (especially) this bedroom has the most work to be done in it. The trim has never been painted, the doors are in poor shape (punched in??), and the floors need some love. Overall, it has a way to come. But, getting it organized was a huge step in that direction!

I am not sure when it will start its transformation, but I am excited for it to happen when it does. My Pinterest boards are bursting with ideas of how this room will transform. I see lots and lots of paint, window treatments, chalkboard paint, a desk.... Oh, the ideas!! I anticipate that this room will really get its start either summer or this upcoming Fall when the highly anticipated IKEA opens in our area!

If you have a home office or dream of having one, what would be your "must haves" in yours? Or, what do you dream about having in one? What do you love about it? I would love to hear your ideas!

Revisiting the "Men's Bathroom" (1/2 Bath)

When we bought our house, one thing that was on our "wish list" was having at least 1 1/2 bathrooms. It was an added bonus that our house actually has 2 1/2 bathrooms! (When it isn't ripped out to the studs because of mold!!) 

It is our understanding that the prior homeowner had three sons. (We joke that one son must have stressed out his Mom the most because we have found things of his that were left behind such as a dinosaur ornament labeled with his name & his name is spray painted on our basement wall.) Anyway, the half bath in the house has a distressed looking door on it with a sign that says men. We have found this to be pretty funny. The bathroom was a hodgepodge of mismatched things. It was functional (despite the fact that the pedestal sink needed to be repositioned daily so it wouldn't leak) but not ideal. 

So, here's what we have so far! We went to IKEA in November and unexpectedly picked out a bathroom vanity, sink, and faucet for this space. It is not very wide, but, it makes the bathroom seem much larger in size now! 

We have also selected flooring tile which looks like dark wood and a light beige grout. Z installed it all himself. You can tell from the photos, too, that there two different paint colors. The paint to the left of the toilet is the original. The paint to the right was a color we initially picked for the kitchen - and it wasn't the color we were looking for in that space. Since we plan on tiling part of the walls in this room, we will probably end up painting the rest in that color. 

In the bottom photo, we tried out a silver tile. We had talked about silver tile in a previous post. After putting this up and living with it for a few weeks now, we aren't sure if we are sold on it. I think it's better to try it and live with it first. 

We still have quite a few things to do before we can call this room finished. A few things have been completed, but are not pictured in these two pictures. We purchased a mirror at IKEA and installed it. Z also built a wooden ledge on the far left side part of the bathroom - where the whole would be in the photos. 

So, what's next?? We have been looking and gathering ideas. We have found some inspiration in photos - my Pinterest board is a testament to that. We know that we are going to keep the original door that we lovingly refer to as the truck stop door. It's beat up, engraved, suspicious, and hilarious. Behind the door will hold one insane bathroom. I don't want to give away too much just yet, but we are finding inspiration in many things. Just expect something over the top, and in ways, silly.

Here's teasers as to what we are talking about and considering:

INSPIRATION #1 

INSPIRATION #2

INSPIRATION #3

INSPIRATION #4

If you were going to go "all out" on a room like this one, what would be the over the top things that you would include? 

Home for the Holiday

This year is especially bittersweet Christmas for us. It is the first Christmas that we are spending in our home. Although we are away from family today (due to work schedules) it was exciting to wake up in our own house on this day. We have done some of our traditions that were started three years ago when we lived in Chicago, and continue to create some new ones. Something that I have learned over the last few years is it is not about the actual date you celebrate - but rather cherishing the time that you do celebrate. As a result, we will have a chance to celebrate with our families this upcoming weekend. So, our holiday continues through the weekend! We will see what next year brings when we reach that time next year. However, I will cherish our first Christmas in our house.

Our crew opening presents. (From left going counterclockwise: Kiki, Milo ("Little Kitty") & Oscar.

                     

The aftermath of the M. family Christmas! Success! 

This year, we bought an artificial Christmas tree that we placed in our lower living room. Last year, when living in our apartment, we talked about when we had a house that we would have two trees. (Crazy to think that at this time last year, we were looking at finances and homes!) The artificial tree fit in great with our lower living space - next to our fireplace that is adorned with battery operated and real candles, decorations, and smells of freshly baked cookies. Picture perfect..... for the first few minutes. The newest addition to our crew, Milo (aka "Little Kitty") found this to be the "purrrrfect" thing to climb. After some debate, we decided to see what he would do with a real tree and to satisfy the craving of having two trees. So, here is our real tree set up in our formal living room. Go figure that he seems less interested with the real tree! Although, as you may notice from the picture, we went without ornaments this year in fear that he would knock them off. I'm hoping next year he will be out of his kitten phase and we can add ornaments. (The vet speculates that he is about 6 to 7 months old as of right now - but that's another story!)

We sat in here, opening up presents this morning. It was filled of sips of coffee, laughter, and phone calls with loved ones. As I sat there with Z, I couldn't help but think that this would be the room and place where we would open presents for years to come - regardless of what day it is celebrated. 

I'm excited to watch our traditions continue and evolve as we celebrate holidays in our home. Here's hoping that your holiday had time of rest and celebrating! From our family to yours - Happy Holidays!

-E

Happy Holidays at Home

As corny as it sounds, I had wished for a white Christmas with this being the first Christmas in our home and it looks like my wish has come true! It snowed a few days ago, but temperatures have been cold enough to keep it around for a while! Lovely!

Now that the major crunch time is finished for me, I will hopefully be updating more frequently! I am planning on updating in the upcoming days, if not tomorrow! As I looked through the blog, I was disappointed on my part that I hadn't updated it with some of the most exciting updates! From our guest bedroom to our kitchen to dining room to the upstairs bedroom... lots has been done! I can't wait to update you all with these things!

In the meantime, happy holidays to each of you and your loved ones! However you choose to spend the next few days, I hope you do things that fill you with happiness! I'm certainly looking forward to a quiet and peaceful day in our home especially since it's the first one in our home!

-E

P.S. - As I was admiring my friend, Michelle's blog this evening, I noticed that she added this blog to her faves for home interiors. She's too sweet. She's an outstanding blogger, fashionista, illustrator and friend. If you haven't already checked out Creature Type, do so this holiday season!

Life Lately!

Long time no see, blog! So many fun things to share. Unfortunately (and fortunately in ways) the last week and this next  week are MAJOR crunch time for me! I am anxiously trying to finish up lesson plans for the next two weeks prior to Winter Break (done!) and preparing to submit my final homework assignments for graduate school! After that, it should *hopefully* slow down a bit with time off from school, graduation, and trying to plan some time back in the Lou. (Side note for those who are reading this.... Thinking I will come in town in January, too.... Stay tuned.) 

Needless to say, I need to update. But, in the meantime, here's what our house looks like this year with lights. Simply simple! Next year I'm sure we will do more. But, for now, I anxiously anticipate snow to come! 

Fall into Fall

Where has time gone? In the matter of days, Fall has been arriving quickly! The cool winds, smell of fireplaces, and the changing of leaves. It's beautiful! 

We have had SO many acorns falling in our backyard lately! An entire bucket filled! I've been getting ideas on Pinterest of what to do. This weekend may be a craft day with all of these acorns!

I've been busy with school and school. Z has been busy at work, too. However, he found time to build an awesome fence! We plan to do more of our yard - to block a nearby street - and have it match on the other side. We have been enjoying the beginning fall days with outside projects and the pumpkin patch! Our lower living room is so cozy. Perfect place to unwind after a long day.

Between outside projects to kitty friends to pumpkin patches to work, we have been busy! Take a peek at what we've been up to...

Too Anxious!

I was so anxious to share what we did the last few days (and mainly tonight) to not post! I couldn't wait until morning, so I snapped a few photos. 

We have been working on the back yard a bit more. I'll post a more detailed post (with better pictures) soon of the backyard and what we have done in the last few days. 

In the meantime, take a peek at the photos!

This was the FIRST weekend I didn't bring home any school work. Could have, should have, but didn't. Not going to lie -  it's been awesome. Hope you're enjoying your weekend, too!

-E

P.S.- If you're in the market for a nice house with friendly neighbors and an overly friendly dachshund and silly cat, I know of a place.... :)

Really a Recap

In this post before Labor Day, I had briefly listed the projects that we had been working on throughout the house. Unfortunately, with school (being the teacher) and school (being the student), our projects are becoming more limited to the weekends. Did I mention, I do a lot of school?! Selfish self promotion.... check out my portfolio as it develops...  In the first weeks of school, we were able to get a few things marked off our list. While the list continues to grow and the ideas run wild, here's a little update on what we have accomplished.

This is what I wanted to touch base on during that initial post:

1. backyard updates
2. front door / stoop paint
3. guest bedroom update
4. gardening this year

And, this is what this post has evolved to since that ambitious post:

1. backyard updates *include some gardening*
2. front door / stoop paint
3. guest bedroom update
4. gardening this year  happenings aside from the house

Backyard Update
The backyard was supposed to have been a work in progress next year. However, we couldn't resist and started a few projects. Better to start now because in a few months, projects will be limited to indoors.

Prepping the back door (1 of 2)

Door taped & prepped ready to go! 

After two thick coats of Valspar's Outdoor Spray Paint in brown.

Sod placed between the metal edging and mulch around tree. We removed bricks to create a more consistent feel from the tree to the patio.

Z made this table! 

Daylight view of backyard / patio area

Night view of backyard / patio area. (Looks awesome at night!)

Fountain we picked up on clearance at Lowe's!

Front Door / Stoop Paint
It is amazing what a fresh coat of paint can and will do to a place. 

Sanded and ready to be painted! (What is at the front of the stoop was how it was before we started.)

Ready to paint!

Left from the previous home owner. Apparently pineapples are good luck. We'll take it!

Two coats of later!

View from our driveway looking up to the freshly painted doorway. 

Guest Bedroom Update

I have a confession. I love estate sales, garage sales, First Friday sales. Love them all. You never know what you'll find and what price you'll find it at. The excitement of possibility lurks around every corner.  One morning in the last few months that Z was driving to work and out of our neighborhood, he noticed there was an estate sale on a neighboring street to us. He called me to tell me about it, so I decided to check it out. I walked out with a nice dresser from this sale. It was painted a whimsical/shabby pea green color. Within seconds of setting eyes on it, I was picturing it in a rich coral color and in our guest bedroom. Fast forward months to where it is now; completed and in our guest bedroom. Here's a quick insight into it. I am saving a fully dedicated guest bedroom post until the room is officially complete, cleaned, and things finished up a bit more.

Z skillfully found a way to hang the drawer pulls that I was spray painting. 

Spray painted in a silver metallic. (MUCH cheaper than purchasing new knobs and pulls for the whole piece!)

Knobs painted and installed on dresser.  

Drawer pulls painted and installed. 

Happenings Outside of Home Projects

Z and I went apple picking! YUM!

Irish Fest

Estate Sale / First Friday exploring & finds! 

Home away from home. My classroom and beloved SMART Board.

And, again, some selfish promotion for my graduate school portfolio.

Well, that is a glimpse into a few of the things that we have been working on! Once the guest bedroom is cleaned and finished, I will be posting photos of it! Very excited to share them! In the upcoming months, I'm really looking forward to Fall (boots, chiminea fires, pumpkins...), trying to plan a trip to STL for a weekend in the upcoming months, and starting new traditions in our home. What are you looking forward to in the upcoming Fall months?