our new Kitchen Pantry

We are done with our new pantry. It took a few weeks but it is done and I really like the way it turned out. It makes the kitchen look less cluttered.

 Here is the before picture... with all our junk everywhere. It looks messier in the picture than it did in real life, lol.

 First, we moved the cupboards down the wall and tore out the corner cupboards.

 Then we started building.

 These are our cute little painters... who had lots of fun helping paint.

 What messy hands you all have.

 It's all but finished...

IT'S DONE! 

It really makes the kitchen look less cluttered... although it makes it look smaller. Someday when we get new cupboards... I want to put an island in the middle with a small ladder hanging from the ceiling as a pot rack.... but until then I will just keep dreaming.

{2.25.12}

NEW Carpet!!!

I am thrilled! We finally got new carpet in our living room and I absolutely love it! I thought I might not really like the color I picked out {I have issues with picking colors} but it has been a month now and I still love it. I am so excited, it just makes our home feel a little nicer and our living room look brighter. Once I save up some more money then we can put it in our bedrooms too. I am just all smiles!

BEFORE

AFTER, so much better.

{10.14.11}

{faMily} phoTo fraMe

I keep changing and adding things to this frame,

but I think I finally have it the way I want it.

This is one of my favorite things in our house.

I love how it turned out.

{10.3.11}

{ceiling planks}

Ever since we moved in our house I have wanted to put planks up on the ceiling... so after 4 years, we finally got it done. So far we just put them in the living room and dining room, so we have more to do, but they turned out really good. I am trying to make our house like a little cottage and I think they help with that look {they also cover up the ugly plastic pieces that were on the ceiling}

Before pictures

After pictures

Another project down... many more to go.

{10.3.11}

Metal roof & Awning

One of our family goals for this year was to put on a metal roof... and we didn't want the snow dumping off the roof right onto our porch we decided that we should put an awning over the front door... and then we decided that we should have the awning go all the way to the end of the house so that the walkway would also be covered... but before we put the awning on, it would be easier to pour our cement porch {that I really wanted} and a sidewalk {that Willy really wanted}... so after a few months of construction... it is all finished, and I LOVE IT!!! The porch is so much better {bigger} than our old one, the sidewalk is really nice and our awning keeps the front of the house so much cooler. We have really been enjoying it this summer-fall, and both of us are kind of excited to see how it does this winter.

Its great to make and complete goals... especially as a family.

{9.28.11}

nEw frOnt doOr

Our house is coming along nicely. We have lots done and lots left to do. Willy thinks he is done as soon as we finish putting the metal roof on, but I might need a little help with a few things. I want a new front door and I saw this one the other day on This Old House. I love the windows... it makes the inside a lot brighter... and that is exactly what our living room needs... more lighting. I'm not sure what to do though because our house came with odd sized everything so a regular door wouldn't fit unless we tore out some wall... but if we did that then we couldn't have a screen door because it would be to tall and hit on our awning. Decisions, decisions, decisions.... I really do love this door. We will just have to see what I can talk Willy into...

{7.19.11}

yard... aNd... house {wOrk}

 The grass never grows where I want it to... but it grows all over where I don't want it... this bench, ladder, and vine were getting overgrown... so the kids and I took the truck down to Lue's... where Willy and Caleb have been working... and gathered up two loads of cobble rock... then laid them out around so they would keep the grass down... I hope it works...

 Our old porch was starting to fall apart and it was small and nasty with that outside carpet stuff on it... the cat hair would get stuck to it... it was really gross... so we poured a new cement porch... and I LOVE it!!!... it is wider and we have a sidewalk... now we just have to finish our awning and metal roofing...

{6.29.11}

Utility Room Make-over

 I finally re-did the utility room.
It has been a long awaited and very dreaded project 

that I have been wanting to do since we moved in here.

I was going to take before pictures

but I forgot. 

(it had the white linoleum that showed everything, even the stains)

I painted the walls and put down new linoleum squares...

And I even cleaned it out some.

I like it much better. 

I don't think I ever want to paint it again...

it was a pain, with all the shelves and corners.

I can now check one more thing off my "to do" list.

{4.18.11}

bOArd rE-dO

 I have been wanting to to some kind of border around this board for a long time, but I just wasn't sure what I wanted to do... I finally got brave. 

I used the dremill tool and roughed up the edges,

sanded the whole board so the words looked aged,

then I darkened it with walnut stain. 

I really like how it turned out... it has a little more character and doesn't look so plain.

{4.6.11}

Pillow Cover

I finally found a perfect project to use a piece of material that I got out of the leftover bin at Walmart. I was so excited when I measured the material and found that it was the perfect size to fit the pillow because I have been wanting to use it for a long time, but didn't know just what to use it for.

I made this pieced pillow cover when we lived at Grandma & Grandpa Birds house. It has lasted pretty good, other than I should have made it just a bit longer, but it is getting worn out and I was wanting something different.

It didn't take long to sew up the new pillow cover and find some ribbon to tie on the ends. I'm not sure I like the ribbon, but it looks good for now. I love when you can take something old and make it new again.

{3.3.11}

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

I think we are living like Bob The Builder,

and that is a good thing.

The other day I was kind of cleaning up our bookshelf.
Wyatt has brought home so many little readers from school (which is really nice)
but I didn't have anywhere to put them so they would be together,
and out of the way.

So I went on the hunt for a box that would fit all of them in,
and I was lucky enough to find a swifer box that was just about the right size.It looked pretty sad and flimsy at first,
but with a little modge podge and scrapbook paper
it turned out really cute and more durable.

{4.3.10}

Bathroom Re-do

About a year ago we redid the kids bathroom. With help from Grandma and Grandpa Hansen we tiled around our new tub and then tiled the floor. We also put in a new vanity and mirror.

A year later I finally finished the bathroom by painting the walls and putting in trim. I think it turned out really nice for such a small bathroom.

I also recently pulled out the wire shelves in our bathroom and then I textured, painted, and put in new wood shelves. It turned out really beautiful. I loved the new shelves.

I ordered a new tub for our bathroom so that we could finish using the tile and stuff we have. Hopefully the tub will be here this week or next and we will go to work redoing our bathroom.

The night I told Willy I got a new tub and it would come in the mail; he decided to tear out our old tub so we would be ready for the new one. I am so excited to get our bathroom done, and I am not going to wait a whole year to finish it!

New Bathroom

This is our new bathroom. It was fun working together as a family. Everything is finished except for the walls. I need to mud and paint them, but it might be a little while cause I'm burned out for a while.