For The Kitchen

So I got this clock for Christmas (thanks Ashley!) to add to my "black and white accents" in the kitchen.

It's from Target and goes so well with the plates. Honestly, I haven't even put batteries in it yet because it's more for just looks...it isn't really a great "time-telling" clock...but I think it's so cute! Now, I'm on the search for black and white dishtowels and can't seem to find quite what I'm looking for. I want a fun design...so keep your eyes out for some!

The Transformation

As promised, here are some before/ after pictures of the house thus far...starting with the kitchen.

Note: When we bought the house, the kitchen had no oven. Also notice how awesome the floor, back splash, and border compliment each other (kidding)

So of course, the kitchen took a lot of sweat and wonderful friends and family to help us out a little. 

After painting the den yellow and wanting to accent with turquoise, I decided that I should probably blend the kitchen with the den since both rooms are basically connected. In the second picture, you can see that there is a window in the kitchen looking into the den.

So we painted the kitchen turquoise and added yellow/white striped curtains for the bay window:

Here is the product of freshly painted walls, new curtains, painted cabinets, a new island, new counter tops and new appliances...oh yea...remember that awesome back splash? We ditched it.

No back splash!

After putting in the new counter tops, I decided that I wanted to add black and white accents in the kitchen to tie in the stainless steel and dark counters. I am in the process of looking for fun black and white dishtowels so if you find any, let me know! However...I did find these fun plates to hang above the window that looks out into the den:

We still have the same floor but will replace it next. Next post I will reveal the den so far...stay tuned :)

Upgrades

So as many of you know, Eric and I bought a foreclosed townhouse in hopes to remodel a bit and then sell it. The house is more of an investment piece and probably will live in it for just a few years. It is two bedroom, 2.5 bath.  
So far this is what we have done: (Pics will come but right now I am at school)

• Replaced all the carpet
• Painted every single wall and door- which took so much time but THANKS to all our great friends who came to our painting party! (kitchen is turquoise, den is yellow, master bedroom is dark gray, 2nd bedroom is khaki, and other colors on stairways is light grayish blue...which I will eventually change bc I don't love) You could say our house is filled w/ color, but that is the way I like it :)
• Put in new granite countertops
• Took down the wallpaper in bathrooms/ kitchen (thanks mom and dad!)
• Put up curtains in den and kitchen (thanks mom!)
• Replaced appliaces with stainless steel (except for our 80s dishwasher)
• Sanded and painted the kitchen cabinets (thanks mom and dad!)
• Replaced knobs to kitchen cabinets (thanks mom and dad!)
• Put an island in the kitchen
• Took off (thanks dad!) those funny glass sliding doors on the showers and put up shower curtains
• Fixed the garage door to where it actually goes up and down by pressing a button!
• Replaced the sliding back door with a brand-spankin new one (it has blinds inside the door!)

Things we still need to do:

• Replace the floor in the den and kitchen
• Finish the half bath- paint/ figure out what to do about the sink
• Curtains in bedrooms
• Figure out more storage space

So, it's been awhile eh?

Okay Okay, I'm terrible, but I did warn you right? So a few things have happened since I first posted...I got a job. I am a high school teacher, and boy is it interesting. It's hard. It's great. It's HILARIOUS. Teenagers are weird, honest, annoying, in need of much loving, and let me just say I'm glad I am not one anymore. I'm actually in class right now and my third block is very challenging somedays. One kid just walked out on me for telling him to move seats because he wouldn't stop talking, another just asked for a pencil so he can work on his math homework (instead of doing his assignment in my class), another boy got mad at me for taking his cookies (literally)- they aren't supposed to eat in class.

My nerves run short some days more than others, but everyday on my way to school, I make sure I meditate on the Gospel. My prayer every morning is for Christ to love these kids through me that I may show them a steady, consistent, and genuine love that many have never received. When I am in the classroom and feeling impatient and annoyed, I simply recite the Gospel in my heart. I too, am a sinner. The only difference between me and many of my students is that I have Jesus.

I caved

So I promised I would never start a blog.

Then I said, "Well maybe I will one day when we start having kids so the family can stay updated with what is going on.

But here is the thing...I have no job.

So I caved.

I decided that maybe a blog will give me something to do those days when the daily chores are few, job postings are old, and friends are working. Besides, when we start having kids, I'm sure my mind will be on other things besides starting a blog.

So here it is.

I don't claim that our lives are super interesting, and I don't promise to be faithful and devoted to this blog...but who knows...maybe this will be my new thing.