I have been contemplating some home projects for awhile; there are so many things that I want to do that I get a bit overwhelmed and don’t do any of them. The only room in my house that really reflects my taste is my home office; I want the whole house to  I think I’m going to begin with the kitchen. Last summer I began by updating the window over the sink, but haven’t done anything since. My kitchen has great bones, the previous homeowners updated it; the problem is, it’s not really my style. The cabinets are from a swanky cabinet store in Nichols Hills but aren’t a finish I would have chosen. I would have preferred white marble (or something similar in look ) to the dark granite counter-tops. I absolutely abhor the tumbled limestone floors. They were never sealed and are impossible to keep clean, plus they have several slowly growing holes. I’ve decided that maybe the best way to find direction and get started is to create a design board to help visualize what I want to do.

Backsplash

My dream for the kitchen hasn’t changed much since I wrote this post. My original plan included a Moroccan tile backsplash. Since I used the Moroccan pattern on the window and changing the backsplash would cost more than I want to spend, I think I will leave the backsplash as it is and see how it looks like once the cabinets are paint. I suspect that changing the cabinet and wall color will change the appearance of the backsplash. If I still don’t like it, I have thought about painting it white.

Flooring

I’m leaning towards covering the floor with this faux marble vinyl tile from Armstrong. It looks great in Caitlin’s kitchen. It’s inexpensive, easy to lay and can go over the current floors. It’s not a permanent solution but I think it will give some new life to my tired floors. I still might do something like the Skylar’s Lace with a rug.

Lighting

I’ve spent a lot of time considering lighting for the kitchen. There are three fixtures in my very small kitchen. Two of the fixtures are chandeliers with lights that look like real candles (when I first moved in I had a lot of people ask me about burning the candles). They are okay but they are pretty large for the space; the one over the sink has three lights, the other, in the center of the room, has five and hangs low enough that anyone of height has to duck to avoid hitting his or her head.  They are also not something I would have chosen. With it being such a small space, I think it might look best if at least two of the three lights are the same. I love the lighting in this kitchen. I would LOVE to have a Hicks pendant but it will be many years before I can justify spending the money on one. I am considering this more affordable Globe Electric Pendant and using a simple flush-mount fixture for the other two.

Painting

I thought about painting the walls a fun color, either coral or yellow, but have decided I will probably paint them gray and bring in the coral or yellow, probably yellow, in other ways. I’m going to paint the fridge with chalkboard paint. I went back and forth between black and green. Since the countertops are a dark green granite and I have several green accessories, I’m going to go with green. I plan to paint the cabinets white. 

Accessories

I currently have a pretty large coat rack next to the fridge in my kitchen. I’m thinking about replacing it with some hooks on the wall like this elephant hook. I think that will open up the space a little bit. I have some ideas for making my own art for the kitchen. I also love this herb print. I am planning to design my own fabric for the window treatments using the gray, green, and yellow, using this and Josef Frank as my inspiration.

I’m a little nervous, but excited, about making the changes. I’ve lived with the kitchen in it’s current state for eleven years. It will be great to have a space that reflects my style.

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The House Before

I am excited to report that the house painting is complete! The picture above is where we started – a green house with green trim. You can’t see the door in this photo but it was black. And here’s what we have now…
 

The House After

The paint I chose is Sherwin Williams Mindful Gray; the trim is Sherwin Williams Peppercorn; and the door is Sherwin Williams Cooled Blue. I love how it turned out. I’ve gradually been decorating the porch. There’s an urn with plants and flowers next to the door along with a new door mat. I’ll share more as I continue to update it.

You can’t really see it from the front photo, but in areas where brick frames the windows, the brick is painted in the darker trim color. It adds a little depth and makes the sides of the house less boring.

While I was taking photos, Paseo (the one on the right) was posing at the back door, Olive decided to join him. I love this photo of the two of them.

I convinced Daisy that she should join them. I think that cooled blue door is going to make a great backdrop for lots of photos.

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Listening to.. An Object of Beauty. This is a nice follow up to The Da Vinci Code, which spoke a lot, albeit primarily fictitiously, about art. This book by Steve Martin (yes – that Steve Martin) was a fascinating read about the nuances of the art world. Both books have made me want to learn more about fine art.

Reading…Wool (Omnibus). This is my latest book club book. I’m not a huge sci-fi fan, but so far I’m enjoying it. It’s an end-of-the-world type book that began as a short story and expanded into five books. It’s available as one Kindle book on Amazon.

Watching… Episodes. I bought the first season awhile ago; I saw it on sale at Amazon, read about it, and thought I would enjoy it. It’s pretty funny. If you like British humor, you will probably like it too. It’s a Showtime show though, so the language is a little stronger than your typical PBS Brit humor.

Using…Plex. I’ve been working on some projects around the house. When I’m not listening to an audio book, I’ve been watching my video library using Plex. I love that I can store everything on my computer and watch it via Plex on my media center, roku, and iPad.

Drinking… Lemon La Croix. I know, I’ve professed my love for La Croix before. I was excited when I discovered a new flavor at Target this week. I haven’t decided whether I like it as much as the lime or not. It’s definitely better than the coconut.

What have you been up to lately?

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Alfred Hitchcock via A Cup of Jo

What are your plans for the weekend? I’m looking forward to a nice quiet one – hopefully doing some reading. I have two weeks to read a rather long book club book.

If you’re like me and like books set in exotic locales you might want to check out this list.

An interesting variation of the star chart.

Did you know fake spices are a big problem in the spice trade?

Some ideas for summer binge TV watching. I actually have the first season of Curb Your Enthusiasm and have never watched it.

Tips for cutting food waste.

Apple keeps tempting me to upgrade my iPhone. I’ve been having issues with my phone losing service lately. I think I finally solved it by turning off the 3G; I also installed GV Phone so I can talk via Google Voice in a pinch.

These scenes created with miniature pop culture icons are pretty funny.

Proof that turquoise hasn’t run its course.

Did you know free Starbucks coffee is waiting for you?

Have a great weekend!

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No Soliciting Sign / Porch Light / Mailbox / Doormat / Pillows / Porch Swing / Grecian Urn / Floor Mat

Since the painting began on the house, I’ve been thinking a lot about sprucing up the front porch; it looks pretty sad.  I have already planted up an urn and put it by the front door, but it needs more. The door is not centered and I think some sort of plaque or wall hanging next to it would look nice.  I love how cozy things could look!

I really want some windchimes too. I know some people love them; some hate them. I’m a fan, especially of the lower pitched ones. These are awesome; I especially like the Bells of Paradise (listen to them at that link, buy them at Amazon).

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1. Vintage Swimsuit at Skomoroki; 2. Vintage Perfume Bottles Decanters at Rosa Meyer Collection; 3. Vintage green mechanical alarm clock at Cute Old Things; 4. Green Leaf Earrings at Beauty Spot; 5. Miniature glowing house with little green trees at 2of2; 6. Edible Herbs Seed Bombs at Visua Lingual; 7. Anchor Hocking Green Lotus Plate Bowl at Random and Rare1; 8. Olive Green Embroidery Hoop at Mackenzi and Madilyn

I’m having trouble getting away from color themed Etsy Love. This week’s it’s green. Check out all those beautiful green items. You can see the rest of the treasury here.

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Potato Plants

Tomato Plants, Pepper Plant, and Marigolds

Tomato Plant

Pepper Plant

Newly Planted Flowers

Have you harvested anything from your garden yet?

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Did you have a nice weekend? Except for spending part of it battling technological problems, mine was great. I spent most of Saturday with my mom and one of my sisters. On a whim we tried out a new Mexican restaurant in Enid (so new I can’t find any links for it). 5 de Mayo is located in the old Ritchell’s building. We were a little nervous when we walked in at 12:30 and there were only four people seated at one table, but people started to trickle in. The food was really good. If you find yourself in Enid, OK, I recommend it.

Watching… Moonrise Kingdom. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a good movie. I knew when I saw the previews for this one that it I would love it and it didn’t disappoint; it’s beautifully filmed and fully of whimsy – my new favorite Wes Anderson movie.

Eating… Papa Murphy’s. My boss at my part-time job has been singing the praises of Papa Murphy’s for awhile. So last week when I was tempted to go for a quick and cheap Little Caesar’s Pizza, I opted to tryout Papa Murphy’s. It required a little more planning since I had to cook it myself, but it was tasty. Since they don’t come in a box, I’m going to have to come up with a good way to store the leftovers. Be sure to checkout the coupons before you go.

Listening to…Sea Wolf. Sea Wolf has been showing up frequently on my Florence + The Machine Pandora station. The lastest album is only $5 on Amazon so I downloaded it and listened to it several times this weekend. Sea Wolf is provides the perfect music to listen to while working – calming, but not sleep inducing.

Playing… Dots. I have a new iPhone game obsession. Dots is one of those puzzle games that sucks you in. Before you know it you’ve been playing for hours, trying to beat your high score.

Wanting…Oklahoma Home T-Shirt. This tee has been popping up all over Pinterest. It would make the perfect addition to my t-shirt collection. There are several different people that make and sell these. This particular seller donates profits to multiple sclerosis research.

What have you been up to lately?

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This week’s photo is another one from one of Grandpa’s hunting trips. Not sure why he’s donning a suit.

Love this idea; think I might come up with a plan of my own.

This has helped me make a dramatic cut in my soda intake.

Tips on learning to code in eight weeks.

According to Popular Mechanics, I live in one of the 8 most dangerous places in the world.

Who are your patron saints?

Funny baby pics.

Some of these celebrity look-a-likes are surprisingly close. Love the comment by the girl that casts actors to play roles in the books she reads; I’ve been known to do that too.

A great save.

I am in NO way a camper, but I would love to have this airstream.

Big plans for the weekend? The weather around here is finally supposed to settle down. I’m looking forward to a break from the severe weather. Have a great one!

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This month, I am challenging myself to cut my grocery spending. Each week I’m going to document what I purchased, used, and wasted. Blogging is a great way to hold oneself accountable. Shopping at Aldi is my primary method for keeping grocery costs down. I primarily purchase produce there. They also have the best price for canned pumpkin; I feed it to the dogs for some extra fiber. Sprouts is my second “go-to” store. At Sprouts, I usually buy my dairy, produce that’s not available at Aldi, and any “health” foods. I’m sure I can save some money by shopping the sales at Sprouts. A few weeks ago I bought a month’s worth of yogurt because it was on sale and I knew I would be able to consume it before it expired.

As you can see, my money went a lot further at Aldi. But, at Sprouts I did purchase the butter on sale. I also did extensive research on alternative sources for Chia seed and Sprout’s was the best buy. It costs $8.49, but a bag will last me at least a month. As an aside, if you haven’t tried Chia you really should. It helps thicken a smoothie and is a great source of calcium and other nutrients. There are at least three areas I know I can make improvements this month.

Eliminate Waste. For me, this is probably the area that holds the greatest potential for savings. I’m bad about buying food, putting it in the fridge and forgetting about it. I need to be more intentional with my spending, only purchasing food I will use and using what I have before buying more. I have also noticed that there are little things I can do to eliminate waste. For example, I put chia seed in my smoothie every morning. I was putting it in the blender before I ever began to blend. I noticed that a lot of the seed was sticking to the sides of the blender. But if I blend it first, then add the chia and blend again, most of the chia actually ends up in the smoothie. I have also noticed that when I eyeball “measuring” things out, I always over-estimate my needs. If I actually measure, nothing goes to waste. So I’m going to make a concerted effort to watch for these areas of waste and fill the holes.

Make a plan. I am horrible about planning out my meals. I suspect this isn’t going to get a lot better. I don’t think I’m ever going to be someone that plans in advance what I’m going to eat each day for an entire week. I can definitely be better about planning meals around the food I have and researching new recipes that will help me use food in new ways. I can also improve on making things ahead and freezing them for those times that I don’t feel like cooking.

Stockpile sale items. Since I don’t eat a lot of processed food, coupons aren’t generally available for the types of food I try to eat, so I need to be better about shopping sales. Since most of my food purchases don’t contain many preservatives, this will be a balancing act – buying just the right amount to stockpile but not waste. I will be studying the sales circulars and utilizing coupons as much as possible. I have read that grocery stores have sales cycles that are pretty regular and repetitive. I have yet to master this schedule; this month I will make a price list/log of items I buy regularly and work to master the cycle.

Do you have any great tips for eating healthy on a budget?

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