While the rain falls down

This week there has been little progress on the driveway.  It is hurricane season and even though we are hours away from the ocean, the storms that taunt the coast have found their way into our atmosphere.  We have been living in a grey mist for days with no sunshine and lots and lots of falling water.

Pair that with a week home from work while office space is moved from one floor to another, I decided today I would multitask - handle work, bake for my daughter's girl scout troop and compose a blog entry.

A few years ago, I bought a whoopie pie pan from the William Sonoma outlet.  It was very inexpensive and I thought I would make some of these treats sooner rather than later.  So here we are, much later, and I am making gluten free whoopie pies.  Thanks to Pintrest, there is no shortage of ideas.  I went with a recipe from the blog, gluten free canteen, where the author converts every kind of recipe to a gluten free version.  This particular recipe uses a box mix as its base, so it was super easy to pull together.

The hardest part was getting the batter/dough into the pans; tapping the pans so that the batter flattened into the pan; and then putting them together.  A tad messy but something I hope the kiddos, especially one sweet girl who has been denied so many joys of being a kid due to celiac disease.

A present for me!

My husband's birthday was Thursday, so imagine my surprise when I saw this sitting on my kitchen floor when I got home from work.

As you can see, my kitties had already attempted to open the wrapped box for me.  A line from "Beauty and the Beast" ran through my head upon seeing this (you know, when Belle returns and the clock and candlestick are amazed? Yes, I am a mom to a five year-old.): "Could it be? Is it she?"

With a grin on my face, I started to tear away the newspaper that was protecting my missing wine rack.
Ta da! It is she!

Of course, no new piece of furniture or anything can go unnoticed without Splotch the cat investigating as you can see in the picture above.  I am so happy!!! Finally, the wine rack be be installed and the kitchen can truly be finished.  As soon as this pieces goes in, there is a large piece of crown molding that will go on top of this section of the cabinets.  The items that are being stored on our dining room and kitchen tables can go back into the cabinets for storage!  More organization can occur.  Wahoo! Can't wait to see how the installation goes! 

A gift from the organizational goddess!

There are times where I think I know exactly how Cinderella felt when she was told by her evil stepmother that she couldn't go to the ball.  She sat there in the garden in her torn gown and tear stained cheeks, praying for a miracle to end her sorrow and helplessness.  To wash away her pain, her fairy godmother arrived.  With the wave of a magic wand and the sound of the words, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo, she was transformed into a squeaky clean, beautifully put together princess.

As I stand in my kitchen, frustrated with the boxes, messy counters, small appliances I am not sure to do with and chaos in general, I want to pull my hair out and cry for my fairy godmother to come save the day.  There is still no update from my husband about the guy who is painting our wine rack to match the new cabinets.  I really, really don't want to put things away to just take them out again when we have to install this large piece of wood into the existing cabinets.

As all this crosses through my head every time I enter my kitchen, I decided to reach out to a friend of mine who I have dubbed the "organizational goddess"for some ideas.  She is so good at what she does! Everything in her space has a place.  I dream about her kitchen and its neat and tidy ways.  My gal pal is unfortunately moving to Missouri soon but has made time in her busy moving schedule to come and act as my fairy godmother.  Here is how the text conversation went:

Goddess:  I was thinking, wouldn't it be grand to have a meeting
you and me
talk about what you want
then let me at it during the day after kiddos are school
while you're at work??

Me:  Are you kidding me?

Goddess: You can come home all surprised!!

Me:  OMG! That would be so fun!

Goddess: I have you in my calendar.
I want my hands on that kitchen!!  :)



With that, the magic words were spoken and it felt like a wand had been waved.  I am still in shock but wanted to jot it down while it was fresh in my giddy-stricken mind.  Thank goodness for fairy godmothers with goddess-like organizational qualities! This should be a fun adventure and a good lesson for me!

Cabinets are done! Now how to I get organized?

The cabinets have been done for a few weeks but due to the busiest time of year at my job coupled with Spring Break, Easter and fifth year birthdays, I have not been able to slow down to take pictures of the final product.  Take my word for it though - they are BEAUTIFUL and I absolutely love them.

I am slowly putting my dishes and things back in the cabinets, however.  I am really trying to purge out the pots, pans and gadgets that we never use and put the things that we do need in a place where we are better served by them.  This includes the small appliances on our counters and decorations.  I am a tad stumped on a few itmes and just need to slow down enough to focus on it.  Also, a trip to The Container Store is in order without a doubt! the newly built drawers are smaller than a standard utensil tray and I am sure they'll have the pieces I need unlike the usual suspects like Target or Bed Bath and Beyond.  I don't want to go back to a drawer of unorganized mess but rather a space where everything has its place.  Hopefully, I'll get there before Thanksgiving!

We are still waiting on one more section to be added but that is on our own time and dime.  The cabinet folks couldn't reface the built in wine rack that was between two sets of cabinets, so my husband has found someone to handle that for us.  Once that is reinstalled, I'll feel better about putting glassware and such on that side of the kitchen.  I don't feel like putting something away that is just going to be taken back out once that section has to be installed.

So pictures soon, I promise.  Just promise me you'll look past the clutter!

Progress report

The install is going extremely well.  It will take four days instead of three days to complete but we are fine with that.  We won't be able to move back into the kitchen until the weekend regardless.  I cannot get over what a difference the lighter color makes in the rooms.  What do you think? :)

Living in a box...

Remember that 1980s one-hit-wonder, Living in a box? I woke up this morning with that song stuck in my head.  I swear, we have more cardboard boxes in our guest bathroom, dining room and the office slash soon-to-be living room room that I am not sure where to even walk.  I cringed looking at it all this morning.

The good news is that I have a way to get rid of said cardboard boxes once the refacing is complete and we have unpacked everything once again. One step ahead!

Until then, my special little song will be playing in my head:



Am I living in a box 
Am I living in a cardboard box 
Am I living in a box 
Am I living in a cardboard box 
Am I living in a box 

Ah, you've got to love the 80s!

They're coming! They're coming!

We got the call this week that our new cabinet facing is ready to be installed! I am so excited! I cannot wait to see the final product.  However, I will say it does feel like I am moving again.  We have been boxing up all our pots and pans, plates and glasses as well as other odds and ends in our cabinets and drawers.  The good news is that I am truly making myself throw things away and put odds and ends into a donation box.  Good Mews, a no-kill feline shelter that I volunteer with, is having its annual flea market in April so the timing couldn't be better.

So the box doesn't have a lot in it...yet.  But this is the year of purging! We will get this house put together.  Starting with the kitchen is a good place as we spend so much time in this room. I emptied out the spice cabinet first and got rid of tons of stuff that was old and expired.  I have a new list of spices that need to be replaced.  I also purged the pantry last weekend and did the same thanks to an invasion of weevils (or the like) in an old flour container that I thought was air tight.  So now all we have is fresh food and I won't be buying anything new until we get through some of the cans and boxes we have currently.  The refacing project will do more than make our kitchen pretty.  It will force us to get rid of somethings that we don't really need or ever use.

While I have been working on the kitchen, my husband has been working on another project - the guest bathroom that is downstairs.  It is complete with a shower that is not enclosed along with sheetrock that needs to be patched.  Did I mention it is a neon green color? It needs a lot of TLC.  We've decided on a blue from the Benjamin Moore historic color collection and that we will put high wainscoting along the walls.  He tackled the ceiling as well by giving it a new coat of cover paint.  Both the kitchen and the guest bathroom are well on their way to getting a facelift with our personal touches on it!

Never underestimate the value of a handy man

I must say, we knew going into the purchase of our century year-old home that we would have some work on our hands.  We knew that we would have to put some elbow grease into it and do some of the projects ourselves.  We are not made of money and we cannot contract out every little thing.  For this, I am thankful that my husband has agreed to roll up his sleeves and become my Mr. Fix-it.

Got one of these?

We do and we cannot live without it.  Recently, our garbage disposal went on the blink.  Then, it went completely out.  We thought we could skirt by this household necessity for a bit but learned quickly that we were quite wrong.  Food that needed to be tossed started to pile up in the fridge and washing dishes became more of a chore.  Never fear! Hubby is here!

My dear husband researched all there is to know about buying a good disposal and then installing it.  One Saturday afternoon, he decided it was time to put his studies to the test.  My daughter and I fled the house for an afternoon of shopping and not being anywhere near the work scene.  When we returned, we were welcomed by a beaming Dad/Husband and a shiny new drain for the disposal.  He did it!

Life is back to normal and we are ready to conquer our next do-it-yourself project.  Hopefully, it will be something as simple as the garbage disposal! :)

And the winner is!!!!!

The Oxford Feathered cabinet door!!!! After much hemming and hawin', I finally made a decision. I must say the assistance of my treasured Aunt helped as she found two magazine articles that had the exact door in both feathered and non-feathered finishes for me to view. Even though we had the samples in hand, to be able to view what a finished kitchen would look like helped tremendously. The Home Depot will start processing our order tomorrow and within six to eight weeks, the production will be complete and installed. Wahoohoo!!! :)

We decided on the front on the lefthand side.

Choices! Choices!

After looking at sample after sample, we narrowed down the new faces for our cabinets down to two choices.  Home Depot made us a sample in each of the styles we liked in the color we wanted plus another sample with the color we like with a feathering effect so we could see upfront what the cabinets would look versus making a decision from a sample in a different color or looking at pictures in a book.

First, I have to say I am stunned at how heavy the new cabinets will be.  The facing is really heavy and sturdy.  Quite the opposite of what we have now, which is pretty but of low grade quality materials.

So what do you think? I haven't seen these samples in natural daylight yet but couldn't resist taking a picture and putting them on the blog.  I am pretty certain that we both agree that we love the feathering effect.  At first, I was sold on Choice A but now seeing Choice B in the color we like I am not sure which to choose!

At least we do not have to make a snap decision.  They are just waiting on us to decide and then they will put the new facing into production.

The Existing cabinets:
Don't get me wrong...it is pretty as you can see in the first picture but in the second photo, that door isn't propped open - it is simply warped!

So, we are about to say bye-bye to the nasty cabinets above for something lighter and hopefully more period appropriate once the install is complete.  What do you think?

All choices, side-by-side:

Choice A:

Choice B: 

Happy new year!

It seems just like yesterday we were singing 1999 by Prince and that 1999 would never come.  The fact that it is 2012 amazes me.  As I get older, the years seem to fly by so quickly.  Looking over 2011, it was a swift pass in time but we did accomplish a lot.  Our first full year in our new home was filled with needed improvements: adding gutter covers; hiring an arborist to take out dead limbs and trees that were encroaching on the roof; painting the exterior of the house; and starting to redesign the inside of our home.  For 2012, we have lots of grand plans to continue the transformation of our house into our home.

First and foremost is our Christmas gift to one another.  I think I have mentioned my love/hate relationship with our kitchen. It is huge and spacious, which I love.  However, its beautiful makeover by the flipping flipper was done poorly.  The cabinet facing is already discoloring and the doors are warped. Drawer facing is either missing or falling off.  In addition, I am convinced that a man who knew nothing about cooking or enjoying one's kitchen designed it.  The main storage is not in the cooking area but facing away from it and into the dining area.  It just isn't functional.  Enter The Home Depot and their cabinet refacing program.  They are not only going to help lighten up the color of the cabinets but they are also going to rearrange them for us as well.  I will get some before pictures up shortly.  We narrowed down our facing choices and they will bring the two samples for our consideration this week. EXCITEMENT!!!!

Looking back....

Trinity's bathroom was originally a very bright aqua before we toned it down

We love our trees but an oak in our front yard was getting choked by a vine

Underneath the vine is a healthy tree, thankfully

We couldn't get over how thick the vine had gotten over the years

Vine not tree...seriously!!!

Cleaned up pecan tree in the back yard.  Many dead limbs removed

Prepping for new paint!

The Flipping Flipper strikes again...pillars made of press board instead of wood.  What an idiot.

Our painters had almost two weeks worth of prep work.

Hammer and a nail

I did it! I put some holes in the wall and I wasn't even tearing down sheet rock!  The first set of tiny little holes went into my kitchen ceiling.  I collect friendship balls or witch balls as they are called in some areas of the country.  Mine come from a variety of locations - some are hand blown from artisans in Savannah, Georgia while others come from New England.  The witch ball is a hollow sphere of colored glass hung in the window of a house to protect it against witchcraft. The webs of blown glass inside the ball are there to catch the bad spirits. As best as I can tell, they originated in the 18th century.  Friendship balls do not have the webs and have been around since the 20th century.  I love them as they are each unique and are mesmerizing.

I was agonizing over where to put them and finally went with a corner of the kitchen eating area.  I was hoping for a place with more light but this is remotely familiar as it is about the same location I had them in our former home.  I still have a few more to put up and I am not sure where I'll put them but I must say it is nice to see them again.

Pictures: before and after

Here are a few shots of the inside of the home as well as some before and after pictures.  Not sure what we'll be up to this weekend.  We have a wedding on Saturday so Sunday is looking like our best option for getting some work done.  The upstairs air conditioning unit is still out which means unfortunately the painting we want to do up there will be postponed again.  This afternoon it was 92 degrees on the second floor WITH the ceiling fans all running.  Woohooo! According to the customer service rep. the infamous part has finally been tracked and found.  Now it is just a matter of getting a technician to install the compressor.  It has been almost 100 degrees this week in the good ol' south, so everyone with a home warranty as been calling about their HVAC it seems.  Hopefully it will be cooler up there soon!  Until then, we can start boxing up things in our current home.

Door bell before and after polish:

I still need to get a toothbrush with some polish on this.  Who knew it would be copper!?!

Ceiling fan blades and light covers:

Take a look at the flooring in front of my dear husband and then that to the sides and behind him where he had cleaned.  Amazing.

This is just a picture of my favorite light fixture in the house - the dining room chandelier.

Here is a shot of the stove before it was scrubbed down! Never forget to clean the sides of your appliances!

And finally, here are some shots from the deck.  I wish I had gotten a true "before" picture of this but I didn't have my camera before we started tackling the leaves. 

From this picture, you can see how the limbs are leaning on the roof of the house.  We have managed to cut several of these off but have many more to go.

I hope you have enjoyed the first few signs of progress at the house.  More updates soon!  Enjoy your weekend.