Kitchen Cabinet Makeover

It's no secret that my kitchen cabinets were screaming for a remodel.  The early 1990's kept calling and asking for their honey oak cabinets to come back.  I am thrilled to have oak cabinets gone forever and welcomed new white, modern, clean cabinets with open arms!

First, lest we forget how far we've come....

Here is the kitchen prior to us purchasing the home- in the summer of 2010.

Ugh, right?  You can see more of those pics and the incredible floor remodel (prior to our move-in) here.

Because funds were limited, we removed the wallpaper and painted the walls to match the open family room (which was also painted prior to move-in).  

That helped a lot, and then my kitchen looked like this....

In July, I met with a painter who gave me a very reasonable quote to paint the cabinets.  Based on her quote, I had to save $1000 more than what I already had.  We did not have any wiggle room in our budget, and I have a separate account for my Etsy sales, consignment store sales, and other random side-job type things I do (none of which make a lot of money).  I told my painter that I would work hard to save the money and hoped to call her in two months or less.

So, I started listing items in my Etsy shop, and thing started selling.  One of the biggest lessons I have learned about selling on Etsy is that the more you list, the more you sell.  Keeping your inventory up will almost always guarantee more sales.  At one time, my inventory was close to 100 items, and it has dropped a little since then, but 100 items is my goal.  My Etsy sales accounted for the single biggest contributor to my $1000 goal- nearly 40% if I remember correctly.

I also sold kids clothes, toys, and other items at a local consignment sale, Boutique for a Week.  This sale helped me earn about 30% of what I needed for the cabinets.  I made bridesmaids gifts for a friend's wedding- that was another 15%.  I also purged some books and sold on Amazon- another 10%.  I made another 10% from Google Ads, and things started coming together.  

By September 1, just seven weeks after my meeting with the painter, I had all the money I needed to call her and set a start date!

She and her team arrived on a Monday morning, and worked tirelessly until Friday afternoon.  I was incredibly pleased with the quality of work and professionalism she displayed.  If you are in Orlando and would like the name and number of such an outstanding painter, please email me.

I'll stop talking now and let these amazing photos speak for themselves!

The cabinets coordinate perfectly with the pull-out kitchen pantry my husband made.  My  magnetic spice organization is still working wonderfully for our family!

The paint color is Clear Moon by Behr.

The kitchen light deserves an entire post, but my dad and my husband are  responsible for this amazing transformation.  Also, this photo give a glimpse into our family room, which underwent an incredible transformation about two years ago.

I really like the clean, white look, but am adding pops of green as I can.  Green curtain, green shag rug (Target), green baskets on the microwave (also Target).

Before the white cabinets, I thought the countertops were so dated.  Now that the cabinets are updated, the countertops don't look nearly as bad.  In fact, I think they match the floor well!

Next to my mixer is my recipe binder (Target), which I use daily.  I talked about how meal planning has helped me survive working full time in this post.

Another pop of color- not green, but pink flowers from a friend's garden.  I try to keep either flowers or a candle on the stovetop.

This print was found on Pinterest, and is available as a free download here.  The frame is from Target (big surprise!).

Barstools are from Wal-Mart.

Through the door you can see my laundry room, which was remodeled last summer.  You can also catch a small glimpse of my sewing room, which was remodeled last summer as well.

I absolutely love this kitchen!  It turned out so much better than I imagined, and I couldn't be any happier with the finished product.  It was absolutely worth all my extra work to save towards my goal.

Anyone else had any home projects lately?  I'd love to see!  Leave me a link in the comments if so.

Tips and Tricks from Working Full Time

I recently had the opportunity to share with a group of  moms from my church about my experience working full time outside the home.  While I certainly don't claim to be an expert in this area, I have gained some wisdom over the last 18+ months of working full-time.

First, a little background....
I am an RN - have been for 10+ years.  I truly love being a nurse, and have worked consistently since graduating college in May 2002.  I always thought that I'd stay at home with my kids once I became a mom, and while I did get the chance do that some, I never thought I'd return to work full-time as early as I did.  But, when my daughter was diagnosed with Apraxia of Speech in January 2011, and my husband lost his job in February 2011, returning to work was the best decision for our family.

I work second shift- I leave my house at 4 pm and get home between 11:30 pm and midnight.  I love this shift- it allows me to be home with my kids in the day, participate in their school activities, have play dates with friends, and see them come home from school.  I miss out on dinner, bath time and bed time, but since my kids go to bed at 7:30 pm, I don't feel like I'm missing much of their awake time.

So, here's the questions that were asked of me at the mom's group, and my corresponding answers-

Our family on a Sunday morning - me dressed in scrubs, ready for work.

1.  What are the pros and cons to you working full time?

• Pros- working full time helps me to be intentional with my time.  It has forced me to be disciplined with my days because I only have until 3:30pm to get everything done.  This means that dinner, cleaning, errands, etc. all has to be done by 3:30.  As well, my time with the kids is limited to prior to 3:30, so I have to be diligent to spend quality time with them each day.  I certainly don't do it perfectly, but I have gained much insight and wisdom about discipline from books mentioned in this post.
• Cons- obviously I'm away from home.  I don't know my kids' bedtime routine or bath time preferences.  I don't know how much they eat for dinner each night.  And as a result, on the nights that I am home, my kids seem to have trouble going to bed and tend to act out simply because "Mommy's home".

2.  How does working full time affect your family positively or negatively?

• Positive:  Provides for my family.  My husband was out of work for 8 months, and then after that, only provided a part-time income for the next 9 months.  My job as a nurse provided more than enough for our family to live.  
• Negative:  Again, it takes me away from home.  My kids and husband miss me, and I miss them.  It pulls me away from my family.
• I also shared about how it affects my church family, since many of my dearest friends are at church.  
• Positive (church family)- allows me to minister to others in discussions about childcare, breastfeeding, pregnancy issues, general pediatric healthcare questions.  It is truly an honor to share my knowledge with my church family.  I get questions almost every Sunday about some nursing-related question... and I love it.  I am quick to refer out to the child's pediatrician if I'm over my head, and I don't hand out a diagnosis (since that is outside of my scope of practice), but I freely discuss side effects of antibiotics, concerns about introducing solids, contagious-ness of viruses, etc.  
• Negative (church family)- I'm not around as much.  As a family, we commit to attend every Sunday and we lead a small group in our home on a regular basis.  But other than that, I don't go to a lot of other activities.  Some of them conflict with my work schedule, and others are scheduled when I am home, but I choose to spend time with my family instead.  I've learned to be okay with this, although it has taken time to make that adjustment.  

3.  What advice would you offer others looking to go back to work?
Two practical pieces of advice-

1. Have your husband on board.  There is no way I could do this without the love of my life.  Not only does he encourage me that this arrangement won't last forever, but he helps out so much around the house.  He mops floors, irons shirts, finishes laundry, cooks dinner, cleans bathrooms, and so much more  Without his willingness and hard work at home, I could not emotionally or mentally continue to work as much as I do.
2. Get organized at home.  Before I went back to work, I took a week to organize my recipe binder.  This is a collection of meals that our family loves, and I use it weekly when I meal plan.  Meal planning is the one area of home management that I do religiously.  I have seen how it keeps our family on budget, keeps a well-stocked fridge and keeps me sane so I don't struggle with "what's for dinner".  I still have quite a ways to go in other home management areas such as cleaning and closet organization, but meal planning is set in our home.

Two spiritual pieces of advice-

1. "This is how God has chosen to provide for our family."  This is the sentence I would say out loud to myself on the drive the first few months of returning to work full time.  Yes, I talked out loud to myself.  I would emphasize different words, starting with "This."  I would say, "THIS is how God has chosen to provide for our family."  Then, I'd say, "This is HOW God has chosen to provide for our family."  You get the point.  Saying this over and over to myself reminded me of God's sovereign plan for our lives, kept His divine plan in the forefront of my mind, and helped me remember that it was His provision for us.
2. "At least we're not going to hell."  There were some pretty dark days in the initial return-to-work weeks.  With my husband out of work, a daughter newly diagnosed with a speech disorder, and a mom who was adjusting to a whole new lifestyle, there were some pretty dark and sad days in our home.  Listening to a sermon sparked the phrase, "At least we're not going to hell", and my husband and I would often say it to each other when the dark days arrived.  It reminded us that no matter how bad things were on earth, we are guaranteed that this life will one day end and we will spend eternity with Jesus Christ.  One day, there will be no more work, all strivings will cease, and worship will be our forever "job".

I anxiously await the day when I will receive the promotion I long for - the promotion to full-time, stay at home mom.  Until that day, I will continue to persevere to provide for our family and balance home management duties.

Anyone out there working full-time?  What are your bits of wisdom?  What are your biggest struggles?

Baking Soda Air Freshners

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to make five gifts for five amazing friends.  I wanted to do something practical, yet frugal, so I chose this Baking Soda Air Freshener from Smashed Peas and Carrots website.

It's not only super-duper easy, but fun and you can customize it many ways.  You'll need baking soda and some sort of scent.

I used massage oil from Bath & Body Works, but you could use anything- I'm sure there's tons of options.  

I found my wide-mouth mason jars at Target, but you can find similar ones on Amazon.

It's so simple....  mix baking soda with the essential oil of your choice and add to jar.

Remove the circle lid part of your jar- not the ring- and add a  piece of scrapbook paper.  Punch holes in it with a tapestry needle.  I'm so sorry I forgot to take pics of this before I gave the jars away, but you can see the original post on Smashed Peas and Carrots for that part.

How amazing would it be to make some with a fall or Christmas scent?  My wheels are turning.....

Here's to good smelling homes!

My GoodWill Shopping Trip Score!

I am in LOVE with Goodwill stores.  I've always had an affection for all thrift stores, but since moving to Florida three years ago, I've learned to appreciate Goodwill stores here.  I don't know about your city, but around here, Goodwill continues to be the best second-hand store around town.  I really am impressed with the friendliness of their staff, the cleanliness of their stores, and the quality of their items.  Sure, there area always exceptions and "junk" areas of the store, but overall, they appear to be the "top of the line" when it comes to thrift stores.  I have three that are within a 15 minute drive of my home, and for that, I am certainly grateful.

Here's a few of my most recent favorite finds-

I've developed a love for vintage bakeware.  This small white and blue dish caught my eye, and for only $3.99, I couldn't leave it on the shelf.  I'm considering taking a few doors off of my kitchen cabinets and displaying some vintage dishes like this, but haven't made a final decision on that yet.

I was especially excited about this 1970's Corningware dish.  This is the exact same pattern that my parents received as a wedding gift, and my mom still has many pieces that they use today.  She doesn't have this size dish though, so I grabbed it at $4.99 and will give it to her next time we're together.  It doesn't have a lid, but I'm hoping to find one on another Goodwill trip soon.

I have a love for green glass, and have many pieces on display in my kitchen and family room.  This pitcher seemed perfect for my kitchen windowsill, and a picked up half a dozen roses at Aldi yesterday.  I can't remember the price of this pitcher, but I'm sure it was under $5.

    

Those who know me well would know that I can't go to Goodwill without spending a large amount of time in the linen section.  This trip was no different, and sure was productive as well!  I found two pillowcases (each for $0.99) and two fitted sheets (each for $2.99).  I love the bright colors in these bed linens.

Where do you love to shop for thrift items?  Do you love Goodwill like me or do you have another favorite? What section do you head to first?

Foyer Bench from Twin Headboard

Remember when my husband built me a pantry?  He set the bar pretty high on that project, but this particular project may have even raised the standard.

I saw an idea on Pinterest, and tried to re-create it, and failed miserably.

I came home from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore with these two chairs ($5 each!) with hopes that my sweetie could make them into an amazing bench.  He got to work, and I went to JoAnn's to buy foam.

After the initial sticker shock of this high-density foam, I came home to a husband who had tried his best to make two horrible chairs sturdy again.  He really did give it his best shot, but in the end, the chairs won the battle and were awarded a spot right beside our trash cans, which are currently at the curb.  :(

I was so disappointed, not only that my $10 chairs didn't work, but that I had also spent $40 on a piece of foam that I couldn't return.

Enter husband to the rescue!

He measured the foam and the board (which was actually a board that my father had cut years ago for our dining room table) and a huge light bulb went off!  Our seat cushion was the exact width of a twin size headboard.

So, back to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore we went, and although it wasn't $10 (more like $30), we found this beauty!

I loved the sports theme painted on, but it didn't fit with my living room/foyer decor, so sadly, it was gone.

I fell in love with the curvature of the headboard and knew it would look amazing in the space.

The love of my life sanded, primed and painted this headboard and then attached two legs to make an amazing piece of furniture for me.

At this point I left to go to work.

I came home and found this in my foyer.

I was so excited I squealed with joy, which is really a bad idea because I get home around midnight and my kiddos are asleep, and sometimes my husband is too (although this particular night, he waited on me to see the finished product).

I love how it looks!!!!

I love the openness of the tile floor, the colors, the curves on the headboard and the legs, I love it all!

With a closer look, you can see how he used 1x3 boards to make the bench secure and sturdy.  It really is solid, folks.  He and I both sat on it and there wasn't a wobble or wiggle in the room.

He also used some L-brackets to secure the 1x3 to the bottom of the seat, which makes it even more solid.

I did a quick interview with him prior to this post and asked for any advice he'd share.  His only words were, "Find out what your wife wants, and make it work.".

Job well done, Sweetie.  I love the new bench.  And I love you.

These fun ruffle and tie-front pillows emerged from my sewing room within the next day or so.  I really didn't have a tutorial for them; I just found a few images that inspired me and tried to re-create the style.

It was such a fun project that ended completely different than I originally planned, but I love the finished product!  It adds seating to my formal living room, which is where we often host Growth Group through our church, so we can always use an extra space.  It also gives a pop of color to my bland foyer and adds architectural interest to the small space.

by the way, the fabric is Alexander Henry's Mocca.

How have you dressed up your space this summer?

Chicken Muffins (AKA Individual Chicken Pot Pies)

I tweaked one of our family's favorite recipes last week.  It was a huge hit with my kids, who called this dish "Chicken Muffins."

Our long-time recipe for Chicken Pot Pie just got easier, with the help of a muffin tin and Bisquick.  What's even better- it's freezer friendly!  This is the ultimate comfort food, people.

Chicken Muffins

1 3 lb bag of boneless skinless chicken (can be breasts, tenderloin, whatever)
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
2 16 oz bags frozen mixed vegetables
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 jar Shake & Pour Bisquick (the yellow bottle you use when camping- just add water)

Cook and shred the chicken.  (See this post for the world's easiest way to shred chicken.)  Stir in mixed veggies, cream of chicken soups, salt and pepper.

Mix the water with the Bisquick as directed on the bottle.

Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and pour a small amount of Bisquick in each section.  Pour just enough to cover the bottom.

Put one or two heaped spoonfuls of the chicken-veggie mixture on top of the Bisquick.

Pour Bisquick on top of each muffin, just enough to make a small circle, and let it run to the sides.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 25 minutes.  (Oven times may vary.)

Yield:  24 muffins

Tip:  Let the muffins cool for about 10 minutes before attempting to remove from pan.  This will help them keep a muffin shape and not run all over your plate.  :)

If freezing, let cool completely.  Wrap each muffin in plastic wrap or foil and place in freezer.  To reheat, place in toaster oven or microwave until warm.

Disclaimer:  I realize this is super un-healthy.  I make no claims that it is otherwise.  If you'd like a healthier option, I'd recommend making your own Bisquick with whole-wheat flour and/or making your own Cream of Chicken soup.  These are both things that I hope to do in coming weeks but wanted to go ahead and post the "un-healthy" version first.  If you've tried it with these adaptations, please let me know!

Tips for Dyeing Onesies

Back in May, I had a freezer cooking day and dyed some onesies at the same time.  It was all in preparation for my sister's baby shower, where we decorated the onesies and gave her baby boy a new wardrobe.

So, this post is long overdue, but better late than never.  I wanted to record some of my experience dyeing the onesies so that I could remember for future use, and to share with anyone else who may want to try this fun technique.

Dyeing fabric really is easy, and doesn't have to be messy or ruin your washing machine.

I bought Rit Dye- I could not find this anywhere but Wal-Mart.  Target and grocery stores do not seem to carry it regularly.  A Target employee told me that they do have is on a "seasonal basis"- can someone please let me know when "dyeing season" is?  :)

I also used the Denim Blue dye, but didn't get any photos of that session- but just so you know, the Denim Blue is a really nice shade of blue for baby boys, too!

I poured the entire bottle of the dye into a large stainless steel stock pot. We received a set of stock pots as a wedding gift over seven years ago.  I'm sure the person who gave them to us imagined us cooking a large part of gumbo in them (we lived in New Orleans when we first got married), but leave it to me to use it for crafting, right?  Make sure your pot is stainless steel or aluminum- not plastic as the dye will stain plastic.

I also used a wooden spoon for stirring (which is now stained) and a pair of stainless steel salad tongs in this process.

   

Back to the pot- Pour the entire bottle of Rit Dye in.  Fill with the hottest tap water that will come from your sink.  Stir VERY well.  This is crucial to evenly dyeing.  

Set your pot on the counter, stovetop, wherever you want to dye.  You do NOT have to put it on a warm stove.  I never turned the stove on.

Wet your onesies with the same warm-hot tap water from your sink.  Wring them out so that they are damp and add them to your pot one by one. Stir the onesies really well and set your kitchen timer for ten minutes.

You will need to stir this pot every ten minutes.  That's why this was such a perfect project for freezer cooking day- I was already in the kitchen working and just reached over to stir the pot as the timer beeped.  After about 90 minutes, I did decrease the frequency to 15 minutes.  

The salad tongs were really helpful during this process as it enabled me to actually pick up each onesie and roll it around in the pot.  I could also make sure the onesies on the bottom were getting turned and dyed evenly, too.

It is much more difficult with a dark color dye- basically anything except yellow - because you can't see the onesies in the pot. So, if you're starting out, I'd recommend yellow first.  

One onesies, the polyester thread will not take the dye.  I like this effect, but keep it in mind while dyeing.

I continued to stir every 10-15 minutes for 5 hours.  I wanted bright, vibrant colors that wouldn't fade after washing, so I let them sit for a lllllooooonnnnnggggg time.  It was worth it!

When your five hours (or however long you let them dye) is done, rinse the onesies in cold tap water and then throw them in the dryer on high.  Once dry, wash as usual without any other colors at least two times (maybe three- depending on the color saturation).  Dry on high in the dryer.

Curious about how we painted the onesies?  See this post.  

Mustache Etched Glasses for Father's Day

This week I pulled out my glass etching cream and made a fun Father's Day gift.  Inspired by Red Currant Designs, this craft is quick, easy and fairly frugal.

I bought my glasses at the Dollar Tree, for $1 each, obviously.  The mustache templates found at LisaWelge.com were the easiest to trace and cut out, and were the cutest, in my opinion.  I think it'd be fun to do a set of eight glasses- each with a different type of mustache from her PDF template.

Although the glasses make a statement in and of themselves, I think I'll fill them with candy, nuts or some other kind of treat.  These particular glasses are for my husband, father-in-law, and brother-in-law.  I wanted to do one for my dad too, but couldn't ship it to him without fear of it breaking, so I'll give it to him in person when I see him in August.

I gave my husband his glass a little early because I needed his modeling skills!  Isn't he a great model?  :)

Happy Father's Day to all the amazing men in my life!  Love to you all.

Helpful Related Links:
My original glass etching post
Glass Etching Cream
Inspiration post from Red Currant Designs
Mustache Template