Pretzel Time!

The kids had a "snow" day on Friday.  Really we should call it an ice day because there was not any snow, but they were pumped about staying home.  I was excited too because Matt was off and we were able to hang out together as a family.  We love carbs and we really love homemade pretzels, you know like the mall kind.  I saw this recipe on Cooking On Clover Lane and I have never tried another because this one is IT!  Easy to make and so yummy to eat!  We brushed these with melted butter and topped with kosher salt.  For a breakfast treat we have topped them with cinnamon and sugar.

Madeline's Room

I have few regrets in life, but one is my choice in paint color for my daughter's room when we first moved in.  Pepto Pink!  When I saw it on the walls I thought I was going to die! It was too bright and dark, but I decided to roll with it.  Three years later I have decided to let go of the bad decision and make a change.

Madeline and I have been dreaming and scheming and this is what we came up with.  We are keeping the turquoise element of her old look, but incorporating it with yellow and teal and eliminating most of the pink.  My budget is $100 for the decor stuff minus the paint.

These are items that have been purchased for this mini makeover:

Duvet and sham set from Target $21 

Digital Prints $10, Printing $14

Vinyl Headboard $18

Huge bucket for stuffed animals $6

Lamp and shade $25

Wall Color: Valspar Mystic Sea

All sources can be found on Madeline's Room board.

.99 Charging Station

What can .99 at Goodwill get you?  A nifty tray turned charging station.  My son bought an iPod for his birthday and that meant that my ceramic egg crate was not big enough for three devices.  I knew that this tray was meant to be!  The tray was a little scratched and worn.  I originally thought that I was going to paint it, but then I fell in love with its' warm tone.

A realtor gave me a great tip for worn wood- Scott's Liquid Gold!  Rub and buff a little of this stuff on wood and you will realize why it is called liquid gold.

What a beauty!

Here she is in her new home.  Matt is going to swap out that outlet with a USB wall plate in the future. Until then we will fight over the outlet.

I love this little tray! It looks great and it's functional. Win-Win!

Feature, Feature

We have been featured on two blogs recently and I thought I would share and pass on the love.  I love checking in at Better After.  This was one of the first makeover blogs I had ever read and I still love reading!

Thank you Lindsey for the blog love!

Source: betterafter.net via Stephanie on Pinterest

Jena featured the family room paint color on her blog, Involving Color.  This is a great site to search paint colors in real life. This is my new go to site for color ideas!

Source: involvingcolor.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's day is not just for couples! We love to show our sweeties a little extra love on this day. Matt brought home flowers for his ladies and Madeline was so delighted! We started the morning off with our traditional heart pancakes and the kids will enjoy a special love inspired lunch today at school.  Pretty much identical to last years.

Valentine Bento Lunch 

Happy Valentine's Day to you!

Framed Chalkboard Wall

Awhile back I saw this pin and was immediately obsessed with the desire for an over sized chalkboard.  

SOURCE

My search ended a week ago when I came across a five foot leaner mirror at Home Depot for $34 dollars.  The mirror was cracked and I asked for a discount.  I walked away with the mirror for $20 plus tax and spent $10 on the chalkboard paint. Little dough for big impact! 

 This is how I created my framed chalkboard wall:

1.  Find a great deal on a mirror!

2. Safely remove and dispose of mirror.

3. Prime and paint the frame.  I used a sample from my stash that is a lighter shade than my powder and laundry room.  Easy coordination!  We hung the frame on studs and made sure that it was level.

4. Painted three coats of Rust-oleum Chalkboard Paint with a foam roller and waited the three days before priming and writing on the wall (so hard to wait).

5.  Here is the final product- all nice and clean.

6.  Here it is in action! My little brother turned 18... boy I feel old!

Edited to add these additions:

The Family Room- Updated

When I was taking pictures of the kitchen I shot some of the adjoining family room.  Although the flooring has been installed since this past summer I have yet to post an updated house tour.  Here is an obnoxious amount of photos of our family room.  

Here is the the view of the kitchen from the family room.  

And the family room from the kitchen.

 No room is complete without a bird pillow!

The BIG Kitchen Reveal

I have been waiting for just the right lighting to take these pictures and today was the day! I am so happy to show off our kitchen! I posted a sneak peek at the end of November, but now is time for the full monty. I am in love with my new kitchen! 

The Kitchen

The Island

Side by Side 

Comparisons

My thoughts on this renovation... 

It was really rough at times and I really wanted to give up, but my positive husband kept things going and this kitchen was not possible without all his hard work and ingenuity. From research to execution Matt was on top of things.  One thing that he insisted on was adding red oak (quarter inch) end panels to the cabinets, which resulted in a custom finish.    And his biggest contribution?  Pushing me to go gray and I am so happy that he did!

One hiccup that we encountered was the fact that Sherwin Williams could not tint satin enamel in Dovetail (gray).  They could only do semi gloss and we wanted satin.  We ended up purchasing Valspar paint in a satin finish.  Did you know that Lowe's is able to tint their paint with  Sherwin William's formulas?  The color is spot on and we have been pleased with the performance.  It has been two months since we finished the cabinets and they have held up beautifully.  One piece of advise that I do have is after you install the bumpers rub the spots on the box with a bar of soap to prevent sticking.  We failed to do this and some paint stuck to the bumpers.  

If you are interested in our journey from honey oak to gray I suggest checking out our kitchen posts.  There are a few things that I have not talked about previously.  We were able to score a new refrigerator for under $500 because it was slightly damaged on the side that is not visible and was a discontinued model.   It is platinum rather than stainless, which means less fingerprints!  We also installed a new ceiling light, the Alang from Ikea (thank you LaNae for grabbing it on your last Ikea run).  

Source List:

Cabinet Paint Color

Island Paint Color

Wall Color

Ceiling Fixture

Pendant Light

Faucet

Cabinet Pulls

Runner

Tutorial used for Island