An End of the Year Post

Once again this blog has been neglected. I think if I could type this on my IPad it would be written on more but alas, I do not have a keyboard and will not be obtaining one any time soon.

I cannot believe it is December 31st. This year has FLOWN BY and I am trying to process it. I think as I get older, the months go by faster. I am not sure if I like this or not. It could mean that I am just busier and have more on my plate. It doesn't seem that way, though. I have been really good at saying no to things I don't want to do and making the time for things that I do. It is a never ending balance.

For my last post of the year, I wanted to post some photos of our kitchen that we did over this fall. It was a LONG process and many decisions. I LOVE the way it came out, though. The following photos are not staged. I was going to wait to post them until we had our table in and the kitchen was spic and span. However, our table was delayed and the only time my kitchen is uncluttered is at night and if you think these photos are bad-the ones taken at night are worse!!!

The first photos are of our new mudroom. This was previously an outdoor porch that was enclosed and added onto in the front.

We bought the bench at an unfinished furniture place. My handy husband painted it black and I added to pillows from IKEA to complete it. I just have to get baskets and hang a few things on the wall behind it for this room to be complete.

On the opposite wall from the bench is a new closet. I did not show the inside of this closet as it is not organized at all. That will come later when we can find the exact type of organizers we want...or in our case, it never gets done because that is just what happens. (AKA-Chris doesn't care what it looks like when the doors are shut!)

Here are photos of our old and new stove area. I am not a traditional person so I didn't choose a traditional color cabinet. The color is called Pebble Java and the cupboards were made by Wellborn. It is what the contractor carried so we went with it.

Before:

After: (Char was making cupcakes this day so excuse our mess!) Can I say I LOVE this stove!! I have gained 10 pounds since we finished this because I am baking all the time! It is an electric oven and a gas cook top. The oven temp is so even and cakes come out flat on top. And we can finally fit a turkey in our oven. The wall oven we had before was so tiny!

We took our fridge out of the cubby and made it a small pantry. You do not know how much space this freed up in our cabinets. I used to have 5 cabinets of food and now I only have one!

 Before:

After:

To the left of the cubby, we put a row of cabinets, the fridge and the microwave. Previously this held a useless cabinet and a hutch. The before also shows where our old kitchen door to the front was. That is gone and is now a doorway into the mudroom.

Before:

After:

Our big splurge was a garden window. I cannot tell you how much light this lets in!! I LOVE it! I plan to get herbs to grow in this space but want to do it from seed. Here are before and after photos for this too.

Before:

After:

One of the things we changed was where our dishwasher was. It used to be to the right of the sink which made it a pain to empty. We had it plumbed so it now is to the left of the sink which makes it easier to put things away.

Before:

After:

We also added a breakfast bar. Previously the counter ended with the last cabinet by the door.

We also put in a new back door. The other one was not cut right and it was so cold!! This one is sealed and the new kick plate heat under the sink keeps the kitchen toasty.

This is a close up of the granite. It looks so pretty with the backsplash and the paint!!

This is the tile we put in. I really wanted to put in hardwood but had to settle for tile that looks like hardwood floor. Our dog has "accidents" so we couldn't put in a real one. I really like it, however, it shows EVERYTHING!! I didn't realize how much Zach drips on the floor either. It does look nice with everything, though.

This is how it looks in the hallway that goes into our bedroom and the living room.

I know it might surprise some of you that know me but I am not a decorator. I do not enjoy it. You have to be on the constant lookout for "just the right thing" and I don't have the patience for that. This kitchen is still a work in progress. Thank you for visiting!!

Nora