Garden Update

My tomato plants have turned into weeds and are now producing tons of tomatoes! I have NO idea what I am going to do with them, but I hope they are yummy! And I don't even like tomatoes!

My squash plant!

Roma tomatoes!

Sweet tomatoes!

Matt's super hot chili peppers

Garden update

The garden sure appreciates the heat much more than I do! Our tomatoes have grown like weeds and everything else has sprouted except our strawberry seed and a couple of basil seeds. I'm even surprised the edamame has made its appearance. I hope it actually bears some pods!

In order from left to right: edamame, squash, and eggplant. The little weed looking things in the back near the bricks is spinach! And the little looking weed in the middle back is basil!

Check out those tomato plants!

Laundry Room Updated

Yeah! More laundry room progress!

Let's see the before...

Wah, wah... boring and blah.

To new and updated! The paint on the walls look like they are two different colors, but they are all the same. It's just the lighting from the flash and overhead lighting at night.

It instantly brightens up the room.

So, after doing the Cabinet Transformations, I have to say that the straight paint version is in no way a comparison. I used the Behr Premium Plus Ultra Prime and Paint In One. The Home Depot guy said it should go straight onto the cabinets without even a deglosser. Well, I did use the deglosser but I didn't sand except some rough patches. He also said I could use a roller which I have read many people doing but I didn't like the coverage at all. It went on "bubbly" and not smooth like you would expect a roller to do on a wall. Very disappointing. I'm glad I tried it on the inside first! I also have not put on a protective coat, so we'll see how that goes. I keep wondering... should I have put the first layer on thin like a real primer? Or should I have just gone the real primer and separate paint route? Would that have made the finish exactly like I wanted it? Not sure. But I am happy with the overall product. And I can't justify another $75 for the white version of Cabinet Transformations even though I am going to do the linen cabinets and Violet's built-in desk with the same product. I am still happy with my "new" laundry room, I just wish it was as good as the Cabinet Transformation that took place in every other room I have "transformed."

Onto the Next Project!

I started my next project! And I LOVE it! Love, love, L-O-V-E! Of course, it was Pinterest inspired! And actually quite easy and best of all... FREE! I had everything I needed. JDC provided everything I needed! A tutorial, the template, all I needed was cardboard, a pencil, white paint (leftover from our whole house re-paint), and a paintbrush. So, here's the run-down and the final reveal at the end.

Did I say that I love it?! Can you tell I am excited?

We have this huge wall behind our TV. I have been contemplating what we should do with it for the last couple of years. Wallpaper? Stripes? Well... thank you Pinterest! Painted wallpaper is the answer!

My stencil. While this project was for free, it was not without some effort.

Start tracing... and tracing... and tracing! This took a couple of days to actually complete.

Thankfully the kids all took naps and I was able to finish the stenciling and start painting!

I wanted to take pictures step-by-step.

Here's what it looks like close-up.

So it's not perfect as you can see. You can see pencil lines which I still need to figure out how to remove them.

I tried to get a picture of myself painting. This will have to do.

Just keep painting and painting and painting!

I actually got this far during nap!

I was surprised that the kids were well behaved enough for me to continue my project after bath. They just watched some show and the baby crawled around.

The finished project! And yes, I was up on that ladder to get WAY up there!

LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! 

Kitchen Cabinets Complete!

Yes! I completed my kitchen cabinets just in time for Violet's birthday party. Literally! I was painting the light fixture wood frame late Friday night! But it really is so gratifying despite the month long kitchen chaos! It's not perfect and needs some touch-ups but that will need to wait until my motivation returns. But I call this success!

Okay, so apparently I didn't take pictures before I started. Thankfully, I did take some pictures when we initially bought the house!

Before...

Right when we moved in but after we had the appliances replaced

Worth the $150 of materials for Cabinet Transformations (Color Tudor) and a little elbow grease on my part. And yes, I was on top of a ladder painting the light fixture frame and hanging part above the cabinets!

Not bad! 

 Another before angle

Definitely much improved! Including under the microwave area. It's finally clean! We'll see how long as this is the dumping ground for all things that need a home!

Such a difference!

I want to eventually buy hardware but that stuff is expensive! You can see all of our projects in the window sills. A paper mache project hanging from the wire shelf and our plants waiting to be planted in our garden. 

Next up:

1. Painting the laundry room cabinets - preferably white

2. Paint upstairs linen cabinets

3. Choose and install upstairs hallway cabinets and/or shelving

4. Paint Violet's built in desk

I hope all of this is done in the next month but will probably only get the painting done.

The Need to Organize

As my kitchen has transformed from old to updated cabinets, I have been on a quest to reorganize it! My life has literally been a mess over the past month. I have cabinet doors hogging up most of my counters with the rest of the junk stuffed in corners. My Mom's eyes are probably going to start twitching by the thought of it!

So this little space underneath the microwave is where most of the stuff gets tossed, squished, and squeezed. It now as made a make-over but is not yet complete! But this gives you some insight as to how the rest of my countertops are looking if the main one is taken over by cabinets that are half dry with paint!

The blogging world sure has given me tons of ideas. Some of which are not-so-new and some are who would have ever thought? But I am all about living an easier and more organized life! It's hectic enough around here so to be able to maintain a somewhat easier life... I am all for it!

So, most of my cabinets are evolving as I realize what I need and don't need. What can I do to make my life easier? I still have too many junk drawers.

Definitely not so bad. This has been organized since my Pinterest quest has began. Oh how quickly it becomes disorganized! This is one of two. I used to have 3!

Above the stove cabinet. Not so bad right?! Until you reach up there to grab something and everything comes tumbling down! 

I know you can't tell much of a difference. But I have two lazy susan's in there now. The one one the left holds the oils and baking stuff. The one on the right holds the vinegars. Now who needs so many vinegars? Some one who is trying to cook vegetarian! Much easier to navigate!

 And onto the messiest cabinet in the kitchen by far... the cabinet under the sink!

Believe it or not - I have already tried to tackle this cabinet. Step 1: I bought the cleaner organizer. And just this morning, I cut the top off an old Kleenex box and put our garbage bags in there. It fits perfectly!

I pulled everything out! Oh my goodness! But if you look closely, in the back, I found yet another one of those boring old glass vases just waiting to be painted! I was this close to running out to Michael's for another color paint... but resisted the urge!

Think I have double purchased a few things! And this was only in the two years we have lived here!

Ick! So apparently squishing things in there makes me ignorant to the grossness that lies beneath the mess!

Pretty contact paper will take care of that! It's not perfect but I don't care. I would have had to clean better underneath it! And ick! I was not up for that!

Ah! Isn't that pretty! I bought the green container from the Dollar Store and it holds the overflow cleaning products. Everything in the front with nothing squished in the back. I wonder how long this will last?!

Project Vases

Okay, so I have posted tons of pictures of the kids, so that allows me to update a little on my projects. I have been a busy bee around here although they are little but fun and easy projects. Of course, Pinterest inspired, from here. I used those plain glass vases you get when you receive flowers. Everyone has them right?! Taking up room in the back of one of your cupboards that you have no idea what to do with?

Well, I didn't bring my list with me to Michael's and instead improvised. I didn't get the conditioner stuff but did remember I needed a special paint to stick on glass. Thankfully, Martha Stewart's line makes such a product! 

Cool blue vases after it's first coat. My 2nd boring ol' glass vase that got a make-over too! This time I realized that I bought two different finishes. The blue vases is high gloss, which I would prefer to use again. The green is a satin finish. 

Two coats and drying! 

It fits in perfectly! We have such high ceilings which is nice but all this space for nothingness. Matt had put the kids art and all of our unused vases (actually purchased) up there and I decided to put a personal touch as well!

Yes, the cabinets are almost done! It has been almost a month of hard work, but they are oh so close to being complete! I will post before and after pictures soon! My goal is to have them done by this weekend! Uh oh! That is only a couple of days away!

The Garden is Growing plus a Compost!

I started some tomatoes, basil, and eggplant inside from seeds. The rest of the seeds I bought can be directly sowed into the ground. So we are waiting to fill in the dirt and the weather to warm up for the rest of the planting to begin!

Our tomatoes, basil, and eggplants all growing from seeds!

Ashton helping with our make shift compost! We used Parker's old food bin and just drilled holes into it!

Our first dump! Ashton is ready to top it off with some dirt.

Gathering more dirt from my side of the garden!

Our 2nd dump!

The pepper plants transplanted!

Laundry Room Semi-Tranformed!

I was really just too embarrassed to take a "before" picture but imagine the tops of the washer and dryer filled to the rim with stuff! Junk, junk, junk! Well, it has all been moved and I feel a little better about doing laundry. Well, I relate laundry to gremlins. I know. Weird analogy right?! But I swear the stuff multiplies when it gets wet! Then I would just take the clothes out of the dryer and throw them onto the living room floor! Ugh! So, the laundry is taking over the entire house!

So, goal #1! Once the dryer dings, go in there and fold it! Now that I have a place to fold it, sort of, I do that and then put it away! So, I am a week into it and I'm not doing too bad! But I have bigger plans for the laundry room that I hope I can convince the Hubby to do!

I bought the vinyl letters to spruce the place up a bit!

 I must spend a lot of time in there if the coffee cup follows! Ugh!

Next step is to paint the cabinets. I am thinking white!

I found this idea off of many organizing blogs. A place for the lost socks and loose change!

My make-shift overflow pantry in the closet behind the doors. I have big plans for this area!

Violet wanted in on the action!

Goal #2... Keep it this way!