This isn’t our dream home/kitchen/etc. So, while we definitely wanted to like our kitchen, we also needed to reign in the wish list to keep this reno very friendly on the budget while adding to the ascetic and function of the space. While I am certainly not a reno expert, here are a few things that will help keep the costs down:

• don’t move appliances/sinks etc. This adds to your overall costs…
• in keeping with the above theme, use a similar layout… unless you can make some changes without adding a lot of costs
• use ready made cabinetry, not custom (though I would love to have a custom kitchen some day!)
• adding a few bells and whistles, like soft close drawers/doors, under cabinet lighting, valance/crown and a bit of glass make it feel a little more custom
• framing in your fridge is a small expense in the end, but really adds a more built in/finished look
• be handy! (no but seriosuly… it helps to try some things!)
• If possible reuse things like faucets, fixtures, or knobs/handles. (I didn’t mind the look of our old ones so we repurposed them)

We were kind of lucky, because our kitchen reno did not overly upset our lives. You see… while most people would have no kitchen, we just used our downstairs kitchen… so that was really handy.

Once our cabinets were in, level, and such… it was time to put in drawers, lazy susans and countertops!

We had to replace our sink, because of the cabinet situation at ikea…. we needed a 34″ cabinet, which they did not have… so we went with a 30″, and purchased a smaller sink. We used 2 insert pieces to fill the gaps between the sink and corner cabinets, and I actually really like how it breaks things up in the cabinets. I did not want to have a single basin sink, because I like having 2 basins for hand washing dishes/food prep etc. As a solution I was able to find a basin and a half that fit perfectly.

It was a little nerve racking cutting into our counter tops… thankfully my hubby is pretty handy with a jug saw. We have the left over piece to use as a cutting board.

I LOVE our counter tops. There are a few things that make them more maintenance than something like a laminate… but, you can’t beat the look. We sealed around the sink hole with a polyurethane sealer… and then oiled all of the tops.

The wall was pretty ugly… not going to lie. It was a nice feeling to slap that bead board backsplash up! It easily wipes clean and was a good alternative to re-drywalling and putting in a tile backsplash. You can take a peak at a past post where I went through the install process for a bead board backsplash.

What a different a day makes… or a few days. We went from this:

To this:

Things started to feel like a kitchen again! The small details really started to pull it all together, like the trim for the backsplash, the finishing panels for the end of the cabinets, under cabinet lighting, valance and crown. And the sink! I love how much cuter our cute red appliances look…

I hardly remember those green cabinets… eeek.

What types of countertops do you have? What would you do in your dream kitchen? I would still probably do the oak… perhaps with a stone topped island… one can dream!

Happy Friday! Next kitchen post will be the full reveal Thanks for your patience on this one… it’s been a long time coming!

How many times do we get to celebrate the birth of a new baby? I know it can sometimes feel like there are so many events and parties to go to, but the birth of a new baby is one of those major life moments. I felt really blessed to be a part of this moment in my sister’s life, and what better way to honor them then to welcome their sweet little one!

I found some inspiration from her pinterest board, and the fabrics she is using in her nursery (better get sewing Kris!) and kept things simple and cheerful. A few small details can really pull things together!

I made this using a template I printed off from an image I found online… traced it out on some cute scrap book paper and voila! Something that is cute, but can also be used in her nursery as a keep sake. She has pinned something similar so I was *pretty sure* she would like it.

I was pretty pumped when I spotted these lanterns for $2 a piece. They added a bit of whimsy and fun!

My sister requested red velvet… and while I do bake I had never made red velvet anything! Thank you box cake people, for you made her wish come true! At least the icing was home made… I did a mix of regular and mini cupcakes. We kind of threw the cupcake tower together last minute, and I love how it turned out. It is 2 cake stands on top of a glass platter complete with birdhouse

I purchased the wooden bird house(unfinished) for $2. I painted it orange and white, hit it with a hammer, sanded the edges, and then lightly rubbed some oil based stain to give it a more “aged” feel and less of the “I was made by a 14 year old in shop class…” vibe.

These Tissue paper flowers are a bit old school. But, now kind of new school? Any hoo, I made 3 large ones (orange, teal and then peach+teal mixed) and 3 littles to go around the base of the punch bowl. I used two tutorials to walk me through the process here and here. I had the aqua shutter from a painting day… and was happy to see it find a good home!

I kind of love cake toppers… they just put those little cup cakes over the top and are so simple to do! The sticks are candy sticks from Michaels that I have used for cake pops in the past. I have also used toothpicks for my toppers as well… I designed the M on my computer, and cut it out. I used a scrap booking circle tool to cut the aqua, which is just regular card stock. I used my icing gun from my hubby to give those baby cakes a finished look. (LOVE that thing!)

I was a little sad, because I didn’t get a great shot of the banner I made… but, maybe some day. You get the idea with the one above though… I used paper, and foam sheets… hole punched them and wove twine! Voila lazy man’s pennant.

I am in love with this shot that Matt took of my mamma and her sweet new grand baby… almost giving a little smile. Thank you husby for your lovely shots for this entire blog post

Hope you enjoyed this one… I know I sure had fun putting it together. Any recent parties? What types of themes did you whip up? I am REALLY looking forward to the boys parties this year… there is something so fun about going a little less conventional, and adding that touch of handmade love.

-Miss Ash

Not only am I amazed by the talent and dedication of my brother in law, the actors, and the producing theater Burnt Thicket, but I am ever reminded of the importance of others hearing stories like 18′s. Real stories. Unimaginable stories. Stories of pain. Stories of Hope.

I am filled with gratitude to be a part of the amazing team at Raise Their Voice. Though the ground is shakey some days, I know we are moving in the right direction. When we are pushed outside of our comfort zone, tested and stretched, that is when we grow. That is when we become a part of the stories of hope. That is when lives are changed. Especially our own.

At Raise Their Voice our wheels are turning, and as our Feb.29 deadline of $120,000 approaches, our faith is building. We are just under 50% of the way towards our goal…  And are believing for this tour to come together. And not just believing, but working. Planning. Praying.

So now is the time when I suggest that you consider partnering with us. Because it isn’t for me, or the actors or the playwright. It is for hope. It is for the people behind the stories, those that have been victimized and enslaved. Those that are crying out, and need to know that they can fight. They can make it. One day, their voice will be heard, and they will share their stories.

It never ceases to amaze me that a person that was despised and rejected, forgotten and given up on, becomes a hero when they find their voice to share their story.  Help us raise their voice.

support the tour at www.shehasaname.net

Tour Dates :

Lethbridge | May 23 – 27*

Saskatoon | May 30 – June  3

Ottawa | June 6 – June 10

Montreal | June 14 – 24*

Halifax | July 3 – 8

Winnipeg | July 18 – 29*

Calgary | August 3 – 11*

Edmonton | August 16 – 26

Victoria | August 24 – September 3*

Vancouver | September 6 – 16

Kelowna | September 17 – 30

Red Deer | October 1 – 6*

* Confirmed dates.  All other dates and cities subject to change

In an attempt to fix that, we went in the opposing direction.We had 3 men living upstairs… so I painted the backsplash white, and painted the cabinets like so:

We added a dishwasher, and lost some precious cabinet space… but it was worth it. however, we were left with a lot of unusable/awkward to get at space… let me show you where:

That is mirrored on the other side… the one door allowed for decent access, but made it really great for our bebes to do stuff like this…

So after much thought, some planning, and a few visits to the ikea web site, we decided it was time to redo our kitchen. Nothing crazy, but the doors falling off and squeeky, sketchy drawers just weren’t quite cutting it. Not to mention we needed to find a way to get more storage and counterspace in what is a 10X8ft kitchen! The eating area I could live with… but the kitchen was brining the rest of the house down.

It was a great feeling pulling those wall cabinets down… but not without some hitches. They were SO stuck to the walls, and, whoever installed them used some OLD screws that were partially stripped, or else they stripped those suckers during install… a pain to remove to say the least.

I always have 2 feelings when demo begins 1) wow it seems so big and open! and 2) what have we gotten ourselves into.

We protected the floor using cardboard, because there really is no “clean” way to go about removing a tile backsplash. We did it while the base cabinets were still in, so there was less chance of it falling on the floor. We used a hammer, scraper and crow bar (more to smash than to pry) and did our best to keep the wall in tact. We planned to cover it with beadboard. If we were tiling, we would have replaced the drywall. Thank you beadboard paneling.

We had a few plumbing things to deal with… and some scrubbing, but thankfully there weren’t any major water issues.

This was somewhere around the day 4 mark. 2 days demo/clean… take junk away. Then came building the cabinets and THEN came the install.

We kept our original appliances… because they work, and would not be difficult to change out in the future, but we did decide to go with a microwave hood fan. While this is not ideal (as I liked having things open above the oven) originally we had no microwave (yes its true) but figured it might be a good thing to incorporate. We wanted to keep our counter-space, so we went with an above the range option from IKEA. I think it was a good choice. I know our appliances aren’t all matchy matchy… but, it doesn’t bother me! I love our oven, and am used to how it bakes etc… You may notice how excited I was about the little cabinet with the glass doors… so excited that I put dishes in there before we even had countertops… nerd. alert. You will also notice that the end cabinet originally stopped where the disgusting wall line is near the light switch. We carried both the upper cabinets and base cabinets about 8 inches further, giving us more storage, and more counter space to the right of the oven! yahoo!

We bought our countertops after the fact because we had originally wanted to go with the lagan (the cheaper butcher block style from IKEA) but, they only had 4 ft lengths and didn’t seem to have plans to restock. This didn’t work for us, so we went with the thicker Oak (aka more expensive) We could have gone with laminate. However… I have always loved the look of white cabinets and butcher block countertops. It love wood… it makes me feel happy! Things are fresh but cozy… which is kind of our style. When this first cut went in, I was giddy as a school girl! We did all of the work on our kitchen (for the most part) when our kids were in bed. Sometimes we stayed up til 3 am, but, we had things functional within a week.

This is where I’ll leave things for today! Next up we will talk countertop install, hardware… and sinks!

I organized our cupboards. Yes. I plan to keep them organized. {!!!!!} Here is what I like to describe as our coffee cupboard. We might drink too much coffee… not in the I think it is bad for us way… but in the, we might drink a lot of coffee way… is it right?

Ok. so there is tea too. But we’re reaching for the beans… That little blue bucket from the dollar store is changing my life. (I have 2) Coffee contained! Also… those sugar cubes in the top left are from an event we did like 5 years ago, and will probably never be consumed… chuck em? As I look at this, I realize I need to drink more tea…

Glass food jars. I love them. Even better? When they are on your counter… it makes you want to cook, and as a plus, you remember you have things that are in your jars. My one regret? I felt imaginary peer pressure from the very real kitchen fairy and filled my jars with white sugar and white rice (one of our great marital debates… any guess as to which side I am on?) And then I realized they will never get emptied! I want to put other things in there like quinoa and flour… sigh. Also… (in case the healthy kitchen fairy is judging right now) those noodles are at least “smart” noodles… whatever that means. {we have a white vs. brown debate in this house if you cant tell… which might explain my need to explain why I have white anything in my possession…}

at least we agree on dusting.*

For a long time I fought cereal. “But we are not cereal eaters!” I cried (yelled?) But the truth is, I am not a cereal eater. I think of cereal as being bad for me… you could reference yesterday’s post to learn that I prefer home made. Are those sugar laden mini-wheats home made? Thats our one junky cereal, the cheerios and wheat puffs are at least plain… trust me, we have had the golden graham, cinnamon toast crunch battles. {I promise we don’t fight… but we do disagree on food?} The boys like cereal for their first breakfast. {yes. I said first} Plus, the cuteness of G saying “say-yull” really helps take the sting off the fact that its still dark out when he’s saying it… These food containers make me happy every time I pour them a bowl. Don’t ask me why.

Kids utensils! I wanted the metal ones… but I promised E he could pick some. And since he is a lover of neon rainbow things… this is what we came home with. Can you believe I have made it through 3.5 years of parenting with 2 kids spoons and one kid fork? I know… its weird. Its amazing! I actually tried to put half of these up away… because why would we need more than 3 sets for 2 kids? But E likes to pick a different color… At least we now have kids things for when other kids come to visit. Like these guys…

But back to the utensils. We keep them in these jars so that E can still help with setting the table… and because they would over clutter the normal utensil drawer. I am thankful to my mom for keeping me legit, otherwise I would have 3 kids bowls and 3 kids cups… everything else was gifted… those people know their stuff. I just am not a huge “plastics” person. But after helping my sister unpack her  1000 pieces of tupperware, that kitchen fairy is starting to point its finger at me…

Sometimes I wonder if anyone will find this interesting… when it is laaate at night and I should probably be in bed. Only time will tell. And as I share the inner workings of my beautiful chaotic life, so may you? Tell me? If its interesting… have I mentioned that I get giddy when I have comments. Lets not forget  this moment.

so… comment you unknown readers you! I promise it will get easier when I have the .com up!

-Miss Ash

* we don’t do it.

]]> http://mamasdance.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/a-little-organization-goes-a-long-way/feed/ 8 food1 mamasdance food7 food1 food3 food5 boys me http://mamasdance.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/get-back-to-simple/ http://mamasdance.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/get-back-to-simple/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:00:45 +0000 mamasdance http://mamasdance.wordpress.com/?p=1293 Read more]]> You know how sometimes as a {mom,wife,woman,friend,person!} you get a fresh wind? When instead of feeling stuck in a rut, you look forward to what the day holds? I am finding myself there lately, and it is nice. Especially in my “mom-life.” I have started meal planning again… something I really enjoy, but had not kept up with. Why meal plan you may ask:

• you always know what to make for dinner… no more staring into the fridge or eating cereal
• you can save money by planning your meals and shopping lists for ingredients!
• you keep a better routine with meal times
• I find that the reason above actually helps us keep a better routine in all the other areas of our daily life as well
• you get to fall in love with the joy of  cooking, either again or for the first time!
• you, your kids, and your hubby are happier {it really is true!}

Now I know I am not the first pro-meal planner {as in proponent, not professional)… but, I am going to talk a little bit about my approach! I have started planning out our whole day. B,L,D, snacks. You see I used to be of the mind set that if I planned Dinner I would somehow know what to eat for B+L… that I would just have the food and make good choices. Nope. Not the case. So, now I plan every meal. I actually find lunch is the most important, because my boys and I are snackers, my hubby not so much. He is home for a majority of our lunches… but he has definitely been fending for himself the last few months. So, all to plan. The lovely thing about the plan is that Matt can easily make the meals himself, because the list is on the fridge, and we have the ingredients on hand. Score. So that helps us all… especially me

Our meal times look like so:

B-7:30/8ish

Snack:10:30

L: 12

Snack: one for E around 2, one for G when he wakes (and maybe E too!)

D: 5:30/6

I make a plan for the week ahead, and buy groceries generally on Mondays, with a mid week mini-refresh near the end of the week. We try to purchase staple items in bulk, and I divide and freeze a lot of meats. I try to keep at least 2-5 “freezer meals” on hand ie. home made quiche, frozen home made soups, pre-cooked meatballs or chicken dishes etc. So that I don’t have to cook everything from scratch each night. Unless I do a crock pot meal (which is actually so fast other than cooking time) dinner prep/cook time is between 30-45mins. I don’t make anything that takes longer… cuz thats the way I role.

I am really of the mind set that home made=better. We don’t do frozen pre-made pizza (takes 22-30 mins) home made takes about 15 including prep and cooking time. And its so much tastier. We rarely eat canned soup (although I have a few leftover that I had “just in case”…) I will make a double batch and freeze half. That provides our family with at least 4 meals. I sneak grated/pureed veges into anything I can.

Every week I make at least 3 “snack” items. ie. muffins, squares, cookies, earth balls, protein cookies…

We have a smoothie most mornings. L+D have veggies, protein and carbs. We do eat meat and grains… our kids eat everything we do (that will be another post) I make one meal for all. This is another key to our success! Here are just a few more that I am keeping in mind:

• Keep it simple but interesting
• Repeat favorites within the same month
• Make more at dinner to eat for lunch tomorrow
• Think substance (thanks husby)
• Keep the cupboards and fridge organized and clear of old food… (still working on that one)
• Try one new recipe per week
• Clean up after making {baking, lunch, breakfast} That leaves you a clean slate for the next meal!

So, that is that for now. How about you? I am always interested in food and how other people go about getting the right foods into their bodies, and when applicable their kids mouths. I have been enjoying Jami’s posts about meal planning and organizing in general- and love the cute FREE printables she has pinned here. Think grocery lists and meal planners!

I have also been really inspired by my friend Dani- she eats healthy whole foods to fuel her body for the plethera of running {and other things} she does with it! {FYI she has also lost like 60lbs! amazing…} I love reading about new foods and combinations… eg. overnight oats

So. With that- how about you? What is keeping you organized in the food department, any tips? Any great recipes for meals or snacks? I’d love to hear em!

We really wanted to have some storage for coats etc. Although we don’t currently rent it out, it is an ideal space for housemates, so, we wanted to keep that in mind with the changes we were making. This inexpensive solution has really been useful… we hang out coats there all the time!

I used some left over trim from our stair project, purchased these hooks from ikea, and topped it with a mirror we already owned… that I believe was purchased for around $10

We purchased a 10ft 1×8 for $15, and cut it in half. We then painted the pieces white and mounted them using these brackets from ikea. Each shelf cost around $11. Not bad considering a 4ft shelf from ikea is about $22…. you can also catch a glimpse of the hooks with said mirror, which fit perfectly!

We bought 2 doors from Habitat- $25 a piece, and boy do those make a difference in the hallway… Once they were painted with new knobs they looked brand spankin new!

So, as you can see…. a definite work in progress! We built a floating desk to go under the shelves, to allow for a laptop desk… and I am liking it These aren’t the most pretty shots, but I will have a complete reveal when the basement is more complete!

Here is an idea of the catch all craziness that had become our basement….

I am SO glad that red is gone… its kind of hard to share these pictures… the chaotic craft/reno/toy/recycle room… eeek.

Things are taking shape, and we’re happy about the changes!

The thing is my thinking, feeling, active 3 year old can get pretty bored at -40, because lets be honest… I am not interested in packing my kids up, and going OUT in that weather. The cold has had me really thankful with the types of gifts we bought and received for E this year! I thought I’d share a few of the activities that keep him engaged when we have long cold days indoors!

Simply put, E is not a natural solo player. I think this might come with being a first baby? Or maybe its just him, but G has always been such a great solo player… He will find something to do, and then put away all his little train tracks or blocks after 40 minutes of entertainment. E on the other hand wants me to play with him, or sit with him, or he wants to help me cook or paint or whatever.

Lacing and Tracing

I bought these figures for E, and he really enjoys choosing different laces and animals. He prefers the whale or horse best- and its also a good tool for fine motor skills!

Beading

He adores beading. We got a big bag of mixed beads, which actually doubled the fun. We have some egg cartons that he uses to sort the beads (by colors or shape) and then he uses different colors of embroidery thread. He has made some necklaces and key chains… I’m running out of “useful” creations… ideas?

Alphabet Binder

I have added some different free print offs for practicing his ABC’s… he literally did this for 4 hours one day! I am also so proud of him, because he signed his name all on his own for each Christmas gift he gave. He then went through a stage where he left out the “a” because “It’s my most worst letter mama.” But, his little works of art are now back to being complete

Stamping

We bought him a cute Melissa+Doug Dinosaur Stamp Set, and then his auntie and uncle had the same great idea {because they know he loves to craft like his mama} and bought a vehicle one. He enjoys stamping and coloring them in like the picture on the stamp. Perfectionist?

Modeling Clay

I totally forgot about how fun modeling clay is! And way less messy than play-doh. I have gotten sucked into doing a little modeling myself.

Painting

We keep an array of water colors on hand, and a slightly more limited supply of acrylics on hand. I love that inexpensive canvas’ allow me to easily display my boys’ works of art! I have especially loved the recent development of E explaining his paintings… pretty neat!

What types of preschool activities do you keep up you sleeves for rainy or snowy days indoors?

When we moved in, I was 20. And I didn’t really know what I “liked” but went with what I knew. So, my walls were tan and red… and I painted our bedroom purple! Yes. It’s true. But, it wasn’t bad. After room mates, kids… and life- our basement is in need of a facelift! A facelift on the, err, cheap. So, as I mentioned in my #unmeme post… we started painting. And the color pallette is very different!

White and grey. I promise it isn’t hospital feeling. I actually am loving it so far! It feels so bright, and I think it is really going to inspire me to rededicate the space{s}.

Here are some textures and items that will help to create a different feel:

Our Paint is from the Martha Stewart Living Collection in “Pop Corn” and “Nimbus Cloud”  I ended up doing a color match of the Nimbus Cloud in the Behr’s Paint and Primer in one- for quick coverage over the red. I didn’t want to have to prime, and then paint 3 coats… I was a little skeptical that it would only take 2 coats… but once I started rolling this stuff on the walls I was very pleased. After ONE coat it had nearly covered! Can you believe it? One on RED. I was happy. So, after 2 coats, it looks awesome. This stuff was a little more expensive, but cheaper than purchasing primer and paint separately. Plus, the MSL pop corn was on sale! {bonus} so it worked out. My question… why can’t all paint be as thick as the “paint and primer in one” it is awesome… and eliminates that extra step!

Anyhoo, enough of my paint love/rant. We are adding some storage in the form of shelving (see bracket above) and hooks for coats/bags etc. The fabric was on clearance at IKEA, so I picked up a metre for some throw pillows to bring in some more grey. I don’t have a ton of grey, but a few items are bringing it all together.

I have what may be the most brilliant plan for an ottoman, as well as a DIY window bench- TBA on those posts- but, I’m excited for them!

I bought this rug from ikea, because at $29.99 the price was right! And it ties in another grey element, for a clean backdrop.

Remind me how much I loathe overhead florescent lighting…. hopefully this little guy will help out a bit! ($16.99 IKEA)

I am not going to keep all grey+white… but that is our backdrop. I love blues, so we will be bringing in some blues with the ottoman and throw pillows (who doesn’t love some good throw pillows) but I am torn about what other colors I like. I might bring in a chair I reupholstered (ahem, am still rehupolstering!) that is in a bit of an ocean/teal color… which is along the blue-ish lines, but want some contrast and am thinking maybe yellow? But the grey/yellow scheme seems so used… and I am not really sure how much I actually like it… suggestions?

I have created a Basement Update Pinterest Board to see different looks- and you can also see some of what I like on my Living Room Board.

Well. That is all for now! Looking forward to sharing the progress of this space!

Miss Ash