Feb
29
2012
my happy place.
First off…I have got to take a second to say THANK YOU to so many of you who have left comments, emailed, sent Facebook messages, texted, or called with words of encouragement to us this past week. Really this blog is my happy place as it provides an immeasurable amount of support. We are working hard to get Danny over his bout with RSV so that he is healthy enough for anesthesia on Monday. Please continue to pray that he will handle the anesthesia and MRI well. It has been a LONG, hard week with him as he has been very uncomfortable and cranky…and we are very tired parents after many sleepless nights!
Another HAPPY PLACE I have is in my new house. Although it certainly didn’t start out very happy.
I was smitten with the large layout, excessive cabinets, wood floors, and the eat in area. The rest…wasn’t really diggin’ it. I was actually a hater of the red plaid wallpaper and brown paint….as well as the oak cabinets.
We wimped out on painting the cabinets ourselves after completing the laundry room. It took me a FULL week to paint the cabinet doors in there and there were only 6 of them! Our kitchen has 72 drawers and doors. Yeah…time to call in the reinforcements!
YEAH for white paint! We found a great new painter and he knocked these out this week. I didn’t exactly get to sit around eating bon bons while they worked though as originally planned. Keeping TWO toddler boys out of their way with no cabinet doors to hide all that sparkly, glass goodness was a serious chore. I had planned to spend the majority of the week out and about (and away from the fumes) but a flu bug and RSV kept us firmly stationed at home the entire week.
My photos don’t really showcase the color accurately as the sun was a bit schizophrenic today. But we chose SW “Creamy White” for the cabinets and “Outer Banks” for the island (which is a bit darker and warmer in person).
I’m really excited about this area of the kitchen as it is going to be full of personality once completed! We opted for the door-free option (although we had the doors painted so that we have the option of using them later). Next we will say “Hasta LaVista Baby” to the intercom unit (that will be a sad day), add a bead board back splash (in Outerbanks like the cabinet interiors), and some awesome vintage wooden brackets on the sides to tie the unit together!
It is SO much brighter and more CHEERY in this space now! The next major project in here will be to rip out the lovely oak light box. I’m not a fan of florescent lights so it has to go. We’ll need to remedy the ceiling situation under there and then add pendant lighting over the island. We would also like to address the tile situation. We don’t love it…and it was installed incorrectly…so it’s likely a gonner as well.
I’d love to add some personality over the table with a more unique light fixture…maybe something vintage? We’ve still got strips of painters tape dotting the landscape throughout the house. I think I’ve become so used to it that I might actually miss it 
Next week “My New Best Friend” aka: our painter…will be heading into the cavern attached to the kitchen…the family room! Goodbye oak trim, oak bookcases, sad taupe masonry, and olive green carpet. 1991 called and wants its decor back.
Just on the other side of the kitchen is a little spot I’ve carved out as an office space. I’m on the hunt for a little vintage desk for this area. But it has been so handy to have my laptop nearby but out of the hustle and bustle of the kitchen!
Call me shallow…but it’s nice to come into my kitchen in the morning and not cringe. This place is starting to feel like our home…and that makes me happy, happy.
I’ll be sure to share more as we spread the white paint around!!
Thanks again for your support and sweet words this week. We feel very blessed to have such amazing support in our lives! And just an FYI…my Facebook account has been acting up and would not allow me to view any comments left on my last post. So feel free to add them here or to my previous post if you want to ensure I can see them!
Jenn, I get giddy when I see a post on my FB feed from you and cannot wait to get over to your blog to see what new eye candy you have posted. I absolutely LOVE LOVE to read your posts. I have been contemplating on painting my cabinets for 8 years!!! EIGHT! I think after seeing your fabulous transformation our activity for Spring Break will be THIS! I am sure my kids will be VERY excited (sarcasm is dripping). Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful ideas… If you are ever in Phoenix I would love a consult on interior design from you.
Hope your Danny boy is feeling his smiley ole self very soon – and prayers that everything goes smoothly with is procedure. You are such a great mom!
Love it, Jenn! Such an amazing eye you have for style. Love, love, love the white!!
Wow! What a great change. You hardly even notice the beautiful granite in that before shot and now it sings. And your kitchen looks enormous! I’m drolling over all those cabinets. I love the open door look of the built-in wall, you have such pretty things in there. Wondering…could you just glue beadboard over the existing tiled backsplash with liquid nails, outlet covers would extend to cover as well. Then add trim to the outside edges so you can’t see the tile underneath? Could save you a ton of work and would unify the space. We are praying that Danny gets over the RSV in time and his procedure goes smoothly.
Oh and I think one of those drum shade chandeliers would be fun over your table.
Beautiful job Jen! I see you more and more in the house! And we are praying for the family, Danny found an awesome forever home! Love you cousin!
Jenn, I don’t know how you do this all amidst 4 kiddos and all that you have going on between doc visits, school projects etc…I was weary just thinking about keeping two toddlers busy with painter in house! I just toss up my hands and say “maybe I’ll love my house top to bottom when I’m 50!”
You go girl! I don’t know how you tackle it all!!
Danny is in my thoughts, sweet boy:)
You did an amazing job, an I’m not talking only about your beautiful home. I must say that story of your life brings me faith in people. I’m praying for Danny and keeping my fingers crossed for him. He is so lucky that good God let you be his mum.
Absolutely gorgeous! Amazing what white paint can do to a room. Will you come redecorate my house?
I love how you are making the house look like your home!! I LOVE what you’ve done and can’t wait to see more!
I cannot THANK YOU enough for doing this post. I’ve been looking at your house projects for weeks just drooling knowing that my husband would NEVER let me do all those things to our house. We are getting new cabinets soon & I saw your idea on painting them white (ours of wood that match the wood floor too). I just sent my husband this link and he absolutely loves it. He was worried about our black appliances but you have black apps too so that was great for him to see! Thank you for helping me getting the approval on painting our cabinets! This was done at the most PERFECT time!!!!
I am so jealous of your beautiful kitchen! Wow, what a transformation! I’ll be thinking of you and Danny and pray everything goes well for him and your family.
BEAUTIMUS!!! you are so PRODUCTIVE!!! WHy do my small house projects take double the time of yours?? xoxo’s ps. love your mugs and dishes in the open cabinets!!
It looks GORGEOUS, Jenn!!! I LOVE the open cabinets with all your pretty things in there!
Amazing what a little white paint can do! It is Be-u-tiful!!! I have a bit of an addiction to painting everything white as well! Makes everything look so fresh and new! p.s. just saw your latest post and oh, my what a precious puppy!!!! (: