This is getting deadly serious...

We're close. Very close.  But I also realized that a year ago I was naive enough to think that this would be an easy endeavor. HA.


At least now our structure is sound as a pound. So here's where we are:

• Cupboards are up but still need to be sanded down and painted.  We're painting them Ashwood Moss by Sherwin Williams.
• New hardware needed... I can't get brass out of my head...
• Countertops have been ordered. We went with Supreme White granite.
• New stove and fridge are arriving tomorrow!
• Subway tiles with dark grout on the backsplash.
• Oak flooring to match the rest of the downstairs. Not my favorite but it'll make the place feel bigger if it's continuous throughout...
• Paint on the walls of course... 

And other fun stuff but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Hehe... This is me face planted after a
business trip.

Our New Deck

We have a fairly good sized piece of property (1/3 acre, which is pl-EN-ty for us) but the way we use the outdoor space is sorta limited. Just a huge lawn. Up until this summer all we really had was a brick patio (beautiful) to relax on but there is no privacy or protection from the sun and heat in the summer. And I'm no "glistener." 

In comes a brilliant idea. My awesome cousin was getting rid of all the Western Red Cedar from his deck last year and was nice enough to let thrifty John snatch it up for reuse. It's gorgeous cedar. And as luck would have it, we had the perfect spot for a small deck that would provide more privacy AND shade! We added this deck right off the kitchen. We took out a window, added a French door and voila. John even used some of the leftover wood to craft two deck chairs and we found this super cool wrought iron and wood rocker at Todd Farm for $35 that we'll fix up next year. It's great - the dogs can stick their little noses out the bottom to spy on the neighborhood, John and I can relax with our coffee or cocktail, and we can forget about the mess that awaits us right inside the door... Ignorance is... well, you know.