Kitchen Update- The Demo Has Begun

Our contractor called us on Friday to let us know that we were next on his list and that he was about a week away from being available.  This kicked us into high gear.  If he was going to be starting his work in a week, we had lots to do. 

We spent Saturday shopping for all of the essentials.  Here's what we settled on for faucet, sink, hood, pulls, and knobs.

  

We also purchased the butcherblock countertop.  We still need to stain and seal it.




On Sunday we started cleaning out our cabinets and moving things to the other side of the room.  We will reorganize everything once the construction is completed. 



We sure did fill up all of those cabinets fast. 

Then by Sunday afternoon we were ready to take down the upper cabinets.



It already feels so open.  I can't wait to get rid of that soffitt.  The opening is going to really change the way everything looks too.



We hope to have everything demoed (is that a word) by the time he starts work, so he can come in and get to work.  He will make the opening between the two rooms, remove the soffit and drywall the ceiling. He is also going to build all the lower cabinets and possibly an island.  We have some electrical work that we might get him to do too.   Hopefully he will be able to get all of this done in a week.  Then we can order countertops.  We still need to settle on tile for the backsplash.  We are planning on tiling all the way to the ceiling on the wall with the hood.  We will have to tile before we can install the hood. 

It still seems a bit surreal.  It will be so nice to have a big hunk of the work done, even if we will still have lots of stuff to do after he is finished. 

Happy Valentine's Day

We got the idea here for Harper's valentine.  I uploaded the photo to picnik and let Harper make the decisions on the processing.  She loved how it turned out.

We used this tutorial for the Angry birds.  These things took forever to put together, but as you can see from the photo Miller did most of the work.

This owl has nothing to do with Valentine's Day.  I made her last week to go with the baby quilt.  I took photos so I can provide a tutorial.  I just need to scan and upload the pattern pieces.  Hopefully I will have something up in the next few days.  

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Sunday Snapshot- My Rock Star

Harper and I had a little photoshoot for her Valentine's card.  This is one that didn't make the cut, but she looked so sweet.  I had to share.  I love my little Rock Star!!  I will show the kids Valentine's on Tuesday.

Kitchen Update- Drawers

I know I missed a kitchen update last week, but there was not much to show. So I thought I would wait until this week for an update.  Mitch built the drawer boxes. Then we primed and painted them.  He installed them this weekend.  It took him all day Saturday and part of the day Sunday to get them working properly.

 

I think Mitch might be fine with never making another drawer in his life.

 

We are debating on whether to purchase premade unfinished doors or make our own.  We are going to get a few quotes and price it out to see which option makes the most sense.

 

I think Mitch might need a break from the kitchen, so we may do some shopping this weekend. We still need to decide on pulls and handles.  We need to get a countertop and decide on a what we are doing on the backsplash.  We also need to change out our light fixture.  I think we are going to do some sort of track lighting, so that the area is brighter.

Then we can decide when we want to tackle the real demo on the other side of the room.  Yikes. I am so ready to start the demo, but not as ready to be without a kitchen.    At least I have an oven and new microwave.

Baby Quilt Take 2

You know there are some projects that just don't turn out the way you envision them. I had about 3 different plans for this blanket before I actually was happy with the results.

I ended up taking off the satin binding and just doing a regular quilt binding.  I sewed it to the front and then hand stitched it to the back.  It is more time consuming, but I am always happier with the results when I take the time to do it this way.

I decided to stitch the baby's name on some twill tape to create a little tag on the back.  I liked the personal touch that it added to the quilt.   I am so glad that I am finally finished with this quilt.

 

 

Sunday Snapshot- Mikey's Birthday Party

My nephew had his birthday party this weekend at a gymnastics facility.  They let the birthday boy do the bungee.  I think he enjoyed it.

 

I know the kids had a blast!!

Meal Planning Success

Since food photography does not seem to be my strong suit, you get a cute kid photo instead.

 I am still going strong with my meal planning.  Since I have been planning ahead, we have tried some really yummy recipes instead of relying on all of our normal stand-bys.  I thought I would share some of the recipes that we have enjoyed plus some tips for how I have been meal planning.

I am by no means an expert in this subject, but I thought it might be helpful to share how I go about planning our meals for the week. 
1.  If I come across a recipe on a blog or pinterest, etc., I go ahead and print it out and set it aside.
2.  On Thursday or Friday I look at the recipes I have collected and decide which ones I want to make.  Then I fill in the gaps with any meals I have been craving or think that the kids would actually eat.
3.  I plan for 4 dinners.  This leaves leftovers for one night during the week.  We usually eat out on Friday and Saturday night.
4.  I list a few snack ideas for school and after school.
5.  I have been trying to make one batch of soup each week for an easy lunch. I try to make this on Sunday.
6.  I have also been making a healthy-ish treat to have on hand for the kids.  The kids feel like they are getting something special and I don't feel guilty about giving it to them.  I also try to make this on Saturday or Sunday.
7.  I plan for easier meals on the days I know we have an activity like Tae Kwon Do.  If possible I go ahead and make an extra meal on a night I am not as busy, so we can just grab and go or warm it up and eat.
8.  Once I have my plan, I make a grocery list. 

I will admit that this is a ton of work, but so far it has been so worth it.  It is so nice to come home from work and not think about what I am going to make. 

Here are some of our favorite recipes from the last few weeks:

Orange Slow Cooker Chicken- Mitch added hot sauce to it to off set the sweetness.  The kids ate it so I am calling it a success.
Nut Butter Brownies- not necessarily healthy, but definitely yummy
White Bean and Kale Stew from The Vegan Slow Cooker
Totally Addictive Cornbread- Yummy and gluten free and dairy free
Spicy Lentil Collard Wraps- I used brown rice instead of bulgar wheat because it is what I had on hand.
Blueberry Banana Pie Vegan Overnight Oats- We all love these oats.  I have made 2 batches now.  I was skeptical about cold oats, but let me tell you these are REALLY good.  The batch lasts for a few days, so you can have breakfast for several mornings.

I am sure there are more, but these are the ones that are standing out.