End of Day 1

• Everything sanded
• All ugly spots fixed
• Old baseboard trim removed (had green ivy on it, YUCK)
• Ready for Day 2!

The sink is going to be blasted and repainted!

Back Door will be red!

All baseboards will be white!

Hallway trim will be painted as well and painted "Rice Grain"

The cabinets and shelf you see will be black! The ceiling will be white (I changed my mind about a black ceiling)

Beadboard will be white, this little 3 tiered shelf will be black!

Bead board will be white.

Bead board behind the stove will be white, plate racks will be black.

All this trim and woodwork is going to be GORGEOUS! 

It's Finally Time! The Kitchen Re-do Stage 1!

Ok, This Pic is Horrible!  It was with my phone last night!  But, it's finally that time!  I have downloaded the exact paint matches and names of colors used on The Lettered Cottage blog's kitchen, the painters are here RIGHT NOW as I type!  It's my 13th wedding anniversary surprise and I am SO excited!

I will upload the re-do pics every night this week!

STAGE 1 Includes:

-removal of all green vine baseboards in my kitchen

-sanding EVERY piece of wood in the kitchen, dining, back door and hallway!

-painting all trim, china cabinet, baseboards and wall beadboards WHITE!

-painting all kitchen cabinets, plate racks and kitchen ceiling BLACK!

-painting all sheet rock "rice grain"

This is Me, Then!

The Joy These Photos Bring Me!

Few photos, besides the ones of my family, make my heart smile.

Few people, for that matter, shake up my mind.

But, one thing I know for sure is that LOVE, above all things, can stir the soul.

Love sees no size or shape.

Love only sees a persons insides.

The thing about my friend Kristin, is that LOVE not only captures her in these pictures.

Love has captured her entire being.

Though I know her from long ago, I will never forget she is one of the sweetest and most kind people I have ever met.

Congratulations Kristin! Thank you for letting me share these amazing pictures with all of my friends out there!   You are truly a blessing!

This is Me, Then

Spring Break is in The Air!

I have been busy "Spring Breaking" it this week with my children and it's been fantastic!  We opted out of going out of town and have made the most out of where we live. Good Ol' Houston! 

I wanted to let you guys in on a little secret! 

A few years back I found the most amazing box of cookies for only $3.50.  The Thanks A Lots from the Girl Scouts! My daughter no longer sells them but I buy them each year from the local scouts sale or from friend's.

The secret I wanted to share with you is that I don't buy them to eat 

 (well, I do eat one box)

 but I buy them for gifts.

They say Thank You in different languages and have an

AWESOME layer of chocolate on the back! 

I place them in a gift sack or just tie a bow around them with a little note of thanks.  I try to purchase a dozen each year and I usually run out by the fall! 

They really make someone's heart smile!

Now, let's make your tummy smile!

Here's a recipe!

Chocolate Thanks-A-Lot™ Éclair

Ingredients:


1 package Thanks-A-Lot™cookies
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (16 ounce) package prepared chocolate frosting


Instructions:


Line the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan with Thanks-A-Lot™ cookies. In a large bowl, combine pudding mix and milk. Stir well. Stir in whipped topping to pudding mixture. Spread half of mixture over cookie layer. Top with another layer of Thanks-A-Lot™ cookies and the remaining pudding. Top all with a final layer of Thanks-A-Lot™ cookies and frost with chocolate frosting. Refrigerate until serving.


Makes:6 to 8 servings


Submitted By: ABC Bakers

This is Me, Then!

Can anyone guess what I am about to do?

What is the Meaning of Red Doors on a House?

Red means similar but slightly differing things in different cultures. In magical folklore and western culture, red is the color of passion, lust and deep love - intensity. In China, it's a color of prosperity, happiness and good fortune. In India, it is a bridal color, and one of celebration.

In many European traditions, the front door to a home was painted red to ward off ghosts and evil spirits ~ an old Pagan bit of superstition. As most of the early American homes with red doors echoed Germanic or British traditional styles, it's logical to assume that this is the meaning that was intended.

The Christians later adopted this Pagan tradition as they have so many others, changing the meaning to suit - in this case, claiming that a home or a church with a red door was representative of the blood of Christ, therefore protecting those who dwell within.

This is Me, Then! 

Important Information about Eggs!

What You May Want to Know about the Eggs at the Store! Even the Cage Free and Organic ones!

Pantry Makeover!

My life stopped last Wednesday when I began to clean out my pantry!  It consumed me!  We live in a house built in 1908 (as per our tax appraisal) Ha!  We have NO hall or linen closets so I had to get creative when it came to our pantry which is a treasure! 

 YES, I am putting my personal self out there!  My house looks like a pretty package on the outside but when we moved here 6 years ago I suddenly got pregnant, our business went through the roof busy and I went back to school!  Things get CHUNKED into closets and drawers and cleaned out maybe once a year if that!  This time I really did it and made it right! 

ENJOY, I know I didn't doing it!  HA!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Everything has a reason and a place!

You can see the floor!

Ugly shelf paper is gone!

My family is so proud of me! 

I got down on my knees to take the pic above!  I made all these things very low because its the kids "Snack Station" The two tins are full of "healthy" snacks like nuts, popcorn, chocolate kisses, real fruit strips and more. The hanging wire baskets are AMAZING to give you more space options!  I filled those also with healthy choices that are normally in boxes that take up space!  Open them up and put it all out there for the kids!  My 4 year old doesn't need any help getting his own snack!

I can get to all my "plug in" items easily now!

I placed things higher that I don't use very often.

At the very top I found these wine glasses I purchase at Pier One for half off over 5 years ago.  I used them for one party and placed them WAY up high and towards the back!  I forgot about them and could have used them MANY times!  I put them a bit lower and up front so I will remember them next time!

A shoe rack is an AWESOME "catch all" for ziploc bags, foil and more!

My Goodwill "Lazy Susan" finally found a perfect home for my jar friends!

This red bucket has a handle for EASY grabbing when someone has an accident!  I filled it with everything needed for "bumps and scrapes"

This tray can be pulled out and set on the counter when you are looking for that certain something to take the pain away!

I think my spices on the plastic "lazy susans" are my favorite part of the makeover!

Tons of Cookie Cutters!

 

Drink Station!

I call these staircases for my canned foods!

Oh and I am SO happy that I was able to clear an entire shelf for my old cookbooks that have been sitting in a box and place my recipes on cards, paper, whatever, in my box!

This is Me, Then. I will NEVER go back to that old pantry!