Buckets of Paint...Literally

Before moving, I had been quickly mocking up different colors for the kitchen. And was really enjoying something along these lines.

So we tried it a week before moving in. And REALLY hated it. The color was a gray with a slight purple tone to it but the lighting really drew out the purple. It was horrible. No. Breathtakingly awful.

So then, in a panic Adam said "let's paint it light yellow. It's a failsafe color." Which we did. And STILL hated it. At this point craziness set in. The kitchen had been FULLY painted TWICE and we were running out of time and money.

Next step? Try as many sample colors as possible! *Anna says this in a frenzied quick tone with her arms wildly swinging about in the air above her head.

We landed on a color that the kitchen had been asking for all along. Here's a before so you can clear your mind of the mess I just dumped in it...

Ahhh. Feels better nay? This is a golden yellow called "Summer Field." It brightens up the dark kitchen and the yellow light from the bulbs don't clash with it. And a "cottage white" covers the rest of the room. The bonus...it looks great with the silvery gray of our new fridge and other appliances.

Not a designer kitchen...but much more livable. Even with a carpeted bar, sagging shelves, and drawers that fall out....

 An added perk? There are so many layers of paint on the wall that the ugly texture is sort of filled in. *Anna ducks her head sheepishly.

Exciting Things

We've had a couple of changes in my family this year. My little brother Michael just got engaged to his first and only sweetheart Hayden, and they've already started planning! So you know designing an announcement is in my future! (Actually, Hayden is so excited, it's already in my present...) Here we come May 26th!

And this is late but for those of you who don't know Natalie had another baby a few months ago, so we have another niece! They named her Malaika (Muh-lie-kuh). I have yet to meet her and it's driving me crazy.... 

Breaking in the Patio

The patio is finally uncovered! It was backbreaking work, dirty, muddy, and extremely HOT. In the end the grass filled around 16-17 bags. We transferred all the extra dirt to the front under the bushes. (We did it in the dark so our neighbors wouldn't see us and think we're crazy.)

Check it out peeps! The brick is in mostly good shape and the patio is huge! The next phase will include installing a large sail shade and maybe some plants, if I can get them to survive this weather. I am so thrilled to have a place to grow things.

The only area that needs a real help is along this edge. We'll work on it.........later.

And to help us break it in, we had a BBQ. I love it when the patio is covered with family instead of grass.

I am in love with this family size kiddie pool. The sides are tall enough to lounge on. That means deeper water, and if you are an adult you can lay all the way down to cool off. I don't think Adam and I would have survived without it.

Onto the next project...