Kitchen progress

I think I mentioned that our original 2 choices for our countertops didnt work out...we were going with a white(r) look and more of a salt and pepper color granite. Then after our second choice fell through we found a place where I had tons of solid surface options and after going through the pros and cons of granite, quartz, marble, sandstone etc and considering cost and maintenence on each of those surfaces --we decided to go with quartz. Now I have a budget and its quite amazing that really everything that my eye is drawn to is NATURALLY way out of my price range...so when deciding on the quartz the owner of the place said that he just finished up a kitchen with a similiar color sceme, so if I was interested in the same color quartz he could get me an otherwise screaming deal. I was all over it. So below is a picture of what the closest color online was available to what we are doing. We are going to do a white subway tile backsplash and I think it will tie in nicely. Only another week and half to go till my countertops are installed!! Yippee!

Things are going great around our house project wise. We are busy with finishing touches where possible, and plans are progressing with bigger projects…Jonathan did get a wild hair in his head when we were discussing plans for the fireplace. We have lived in houses where there are fireplaces( actually each of our homes have had one) And in all the 10+ years I have had a fireplace I have used it just a couple of times. So when thinking of our current space, and TV placement, we decided now was the time to upgrade to a flat screen TV and put it above the mantle. However I was very clear that I want NO visible cords hanging if we go that route. After talking about the current state of the fireplace and doing a facelift to it…Jonathan thought we could change it from a working fireplace to a built in console/shelving/entertainment center.

SO we will see. We didn’t have any forethought when this was started, but we will hopefully pull it together at the end!

Elijiah still hasn’t made much effort to meet the neighborhood boys. He wants to but feels very shy about knocking on doors. It doesn’t help that he wont be in school with anyone down here, but hopefully with time he will meet some new friends. The move has been difficult….but the bright side. Our friends next door( realtor we purchased our last two houses from) have an 11 year old daughter. She and Elijiah have hit it off( strangely enough) and have played for hours…riding bikes, shooting marsh mellows out of their marsh mellow guns, having water fights and generally causing havoc. Its interesting to see them get along so well, but whatever. Back to school this week and Elijiah is happy…glad to be busy and see his friends….
As for Tristan he has been obsessed with Elijiahs legos and lego figures. So much that as Elijiah would leave for his Dads house Tristan would beg and plead to play with them while he was gone.( he knows elijiah would never let him otherwise) We came up with a plan…in order to HOPEFULLY get bedtime back to some order that we would bribe him! If he went to bed and STAYED in bed ALL night in the morning he would get a little lego figure. (We scored a bunch on ebay for super cheap) So far he seems motivated so we are crossing our fingers!
Jonathan starts back to school this week as well…2 years down-2 to go!! Don’t mention this to Jonathan…it just depresses him…But I told him the end is in sight…half way done! LOL.

design update

After we moved in to this house I decided that there were a couple of rooms that I really wanted to have "put together". The space of the rooms didnt flow with the furniture I had/ color of the carpet with furniture wasnt quite right, and the combined dining/ formal living room needed some help. Now we are spending a bit of money on the updating/remodeling side to the house and my decorating budget is limited. With my non existant time to shop I thought it might be a good idea to hire a decorator. I recently purchased some pillows for the couch and need to tie in the color sceme with accents, drapery and additional small furniture pieces. Ill do a complete reveal when the projects are complete, but so far these are the fabrics that Im considering for the space. My designer is FANTABULOUS and Ill give her credit when I show off the final rooms but for now I can say that shes been great. She has incredible style and seems to share my same taste so I totally trust her.

the latest

Im back to work after a week off to unpack and hang with the kids. Ill just say that the first few days after the move were hell. Serious. The end of the week things got better...
Jonathan took Friday off and we went to lunch and a movie...a day date. I love those.
We are 90% finished unpacking. Got through the garage on Saturday so all we have left is the storage in the basement. Kitchen is coming along nicely...we will be ordering the granite this week and hopefully within a week or so the kitchen will be done...well almost done.
Next up is the bonus room addition...cant wait!!

*while havent mentioned whats going on in this dept for a little bit...we are into the stage of infertility treatments that include hormone shots/lots of ultrasounds this month. With each passing month and more invasive treatments Im feeling more hopeless. Im trying not to think too much into it, or worry about the what if...but its a nagging thought that our Tristan was our last...and how sad that makes me.

MMM Moving is harder than it looks

I think we are beginning to crack.
Moving is harder than we remember. You would think that this being our 6th move in 4 years we would have it down.
But no.
Add Jonathan working 12-15 hours a day, being sick and having to leave work during the day to attend to the internet install, sprinkler repair( plummer), cable guy, air conditioning guy, piano mover, appliance delivery person...all on different days, with different ETA's such as 8-4, 9-11, 12-4 etc...add the working in the opposite direction 25-40 minutes and this hasnt been fun.
We are working on issues with the new house after work, along with finishing up the packing of the little stuff, clothes, kitchen and the things that cant easily be boxed as well....
we are hanging in there, but its still overwhelming. Saturday we have the truck coming, my mom and sister cleaning the house behind us as the new renters will be moving in hours after we depart.
SO fun! But really isnt moving supposed to be crazy stressful?!

I will say that after countless sleepless nights( months of sleepless nights) due to the barking dog next door I am looking forward to a quiet, full 8 hours of sleep in a few days. ( im not kidding...my visiting teacher was over yesterday and said she was awake most of the night from the dog as well- and cant imagine how we have been dealing for months)

The kitchen in the new house is coming along. We are about 60% done...just countertops and backsplash left.

We have two rooms painted, and our master bedroom painted- but I dislike the color so Im not sure what to do at the moment...I a bit tired of painting...thats the update.

****this is the light we ended up going with for the entryway fyi****

Painting!

Its official...we closed on the house earlier this week and its been a bit of a scramble. Conversations about what to do in the week before we move in. Given the overall amount of work its seems a bit daunting at the moment, but we agreed that the kitchen was our first priority. I will be posting pics as we go along, however for now the camera is packed and it will be cell phone pics when I do post.
Anyway my research made me inclined to do a face lift on the original oak cabinets as they were good quality and we didnt want to have to replace them if possible. Painted cabinets seemed to be the way to go and with some inspiration on black and white kitchens that is the direction we went.
Now I realize that painting cabinets is laborious. A time suck and painstaking with the details and process. What I didnt account for is the multi step process that would take many days to finish. We are on day three and only about 30% done. My back aches, my hand shakes now, and I have come to realize that while some poeple dont mind painting I am not one of them. It brings me back to Kindergarten and the frustration I felt with having to color within the lines. Sitting still, attention to detail. Those that can sew, or craft- I get why painting or doing either of those things is great! You have these wonderful finished projects that you have the patience and talent for. Um...this is why I have no problem paying other people to do those things often at a much higher price.
I just hope that when all is said and done the cabinets( and the rest of the rooms in the house which will also be painted in the next week) I am still alive.
** oh to my sisters that commented about my crazy light wish...not to worry...I did find a very reasonably priced light fixture...Not blue though.

Lighting for the new house

In buying this house-- it has a lot of things that are great...and some not so great things. One of those is the lighting. The fixtures in the home are all the brass 1990's fixtures that MUST go. I recently purchased a chandelier for our dining area that I love, and will be keeping for the new house. However in the foyer/entryway I have been looking for something spectaular! Blue being my favorite color every time I see something that I like I save it in a file for inspiration. Well here are some of the ideas I have....

( dont ask for sources as I have no idea- just would randomly find images on lighting websites )

Now realize my deliemma when I find out that not only all of these are priced at 2000.00 dollars or MORE-- and obviously are out of my price range...its hard to go back...nothing I have found in the price range that is acceptable compares! Its so sad. I can get a home depot run of the mill lighting fixture...something that is blah....or I can splurge on something like this right? RIGHT??? I seriously dont think I can talk Jonathan into blowing our limited budget on a light fixture...but a girl can dream!