Home Improvements

Jason just had his last break of the year so I kept him busy. Mainly it was all about the home improvements. But, as seen in the previous post we also had Kyle's first birthday. Since I forgot to take before pictures of our kitchen, you'll have to put up with a couple more party pictures so that I can show you my Oh So Be-A-Utiful walls. (YUK!)

You saw this one before, BUT did you notice the walls?

We had one wall that must have once supported cabinets or been where another wall ended because it was all wonky and patched up. We ended up giving up on it and just knocked it down. Then Jason put up new drywall, that's why you can see a raw drywall wall in the background with the patch from the screws and seams. Not so pretty.

On the opposite wall was this mess...
(not the party people- the wall. love you guys!)

Thankfully this was was somewhat salvageable but it was also patched up and the seams from the drywall were pretty visible as well as what may have once been a chair rail. We patched up the spots and then did a light layer of patch, sanded it and WA LA! An ugly, but smooth wall.

So, that was the before. THIS was the during.... (Yes, I was going in-SANE!)
But finally, I have a new shiny paint job in my kitchen and I kinda just want to sit in there staring at it all day. I LOVE the crown molding that Jason put up himself (Superman!) note:we haven't painted the ceiling yet so please ignore that part.
And the baseboards, ahhhhhh so pretty.
We used a slightly darker paint for the walls so that the molding would stick out a bit but still kept it really neutral. I'm a bit non-committal about decor and we may not be here forever so we wanted to keep it neutral.
It's so BRIGHT!
I have to say, it's definitely making me keep the kitchen clean. I just can not allow myself to leave anything out of place. Though, I'm sure in a little while I'll get sick of the "clean" feeling and start seeing it as "Plain" instead so I'd love some decorating advice.

p.s. there's a reason you don't see the cabinets in these pics. We haven't done anything with them yet. We don't have the budget to replace them but they are definitely NOT attractive. I just have to decide to paint or stain or... Something! That's for sure. I'll keep you posted. But for now... I just love it!

Kyle is One!

My goodness time sure flies doesn't it. My little baby is officially one year old. I can't believe it! Now, just a little warning... when Zach turned one we took a bunch of pictures and then by some catastrophe of technology they were lost. Luckily, I had posted a few of my favorite pictures on the blog so we at least had those safe. As a result of that, I plan on posting bucketloads of pictures from Kyle's birthday to make sure they too are safe.

So, here's the birthday boy looking all debonair. I made him this shirt with a big one on it and written at the bottom of the one in bright blue is the o-n-e. It turned out way cute but sadly, a little stiff since my sewing machine is on the fritz and I had to use iron-on stuff. Oh well, it's not like you could really see it anyway... it's the thought!

I put together a buffet of goodies for our guests to enjoy along with little goody bags in hopes that they would take home as much as possible. (Sadly, I think I still ate the bulk of it myself)

It's a bit of an awkward photo of people's backs but this gives you an idea of the sweet streamer decor that Jason put together.
Of course, Zach had to join in on the present opening.
The Cake... TA DA!


We ended up giving Kyle a chocolate cupcake since "the cake" was white cake (all I had) and for some reason I've always thought the birthday boy MUST have chocolate.
He was pleased.

VERY pleased!
He even stole the cupcake from the little girl sitting next to him. Luckily, she was basically done.
I sure love my little boy!