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!

Vote for the Cover Girls!

In my "real" world, I work daily with elected officials.  I have run campaigns and worked for legislators to get bills passed or killed.  It is an exciting world.  But I have never envied them when they put their name on a ballot.  It takes a lot of hard work to ask for someone to vote for you.  I have always enjoyed being the staffer who pushes them along and at the end of the day, I can retire to my home and family. There, I am only accountable to them and not a massive constituency.

Then came the magazine cover contest.

My mother nominated my girl and me for the cover of a local magazine, Little Black Dress/Little Red Wagon.  It is one of my favorites because it is two magazines in one geared towards moms and their dual lives of being a hip lady and a cool mom.

In order to win the cover and all the fabulous prizes that come with it, once you are selected for the contest, you have to solicit for votes.  So here I am, hat in hand, asking you to vote for me and my child.

There are two EASY ways to do it.  If you are on Facebook, click and like here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150628222111686&set=a.10150628221956686.381029.104090731685&type=1&theater

The other way is to go to this Web site, find the picture for Amanda S. and then click and scroll down to vote.  It is that simple!

I'll let you know the results on Monday when LBD/LRW picks its winner.

Thank you in advance for humoring me!!!

Go vote! :)

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! :)

Happy Valentine's Day, Y'all!!!

I'm not sure where you are or what you are doing but everyone deserves to be told they are loved, not just on Valentine's Day but every day.

We aren't super huge Valentine's Day people in our household but having a little one certainly changes the mood and makes you appreciate the day just a tad bit more than usual.  So we put up some hearts on the porch and snagged a Glory Haus Burlee to decorate a bit.  It all makes her smile and makes the day much more meaningful.

Writing Valentine's cards is serious work!

My advice for today? Grab a piece of chocolate or a heart shaped donut and feel the sugar rush of loving today for today and loving those around you.  We are!  Enjoy! <3

Heading out for a Daddy-Daughter Valentine's Date!

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.