When I painted my kitchen walls a few months ago, I was head over heels in love with the color. I was tired of the green apple color:

And this new color, Opal Silk was very dreamy.

But then as time went on, it started to feel… not right. It was borderline country blue and not at all the lovely jade color I originally wanted. (seen here in one of my inspiration photos)

So when the time came to paint the stripes on the paneling wall, I decided to shop for another wall color as well. The first color my eyes went to was Behr’s Frosted Jade. It was lovely and crisp and calm. I had such a peace with picking out this color. And as I was painting the stripes, it gave off a very minty tone. However, once I painted it on the walls, it took on a very robin’s egg shade of blue.

So while it’s still not the jade from the inspiration photo, it’s a very dreamy color. I sat in my kitchen for a very long time yesterday just staring at the walls with a goofy grin on my face.

You can also see that I painted the paneling above my cabinets. Leaving it white just ended up being too plain. And Thom and I decided that striping the paneling would be a bit much. So I went with the lighter of the two grays from the striped wall. Also, in case you’re wondering the names of the grays they are Cement Gray and Driftwood Gray. These are both from the Martha Stewart line and the Cement Gray is the darker of the two. We’re thinking of carrying these two colors on into the main living room. If you notice in this picture I stopped the striping when I got to the door leading into the garage.

If you keep going down that wall you find yourself in our main living room. Which has the same lame paneling. So I’m thinking of painting the door trim white, the door dark gray, and then it’s a toss up between Cement Gray and Driftwood Gray. One will go on the walls, one will go on the brick. I just can’t decide if I want the brick to be darker or lighter than the walls.

I do know that I want to paint the built ins white. I also know that no matter what I choose, this room will take a very long time to complete. Of all the rooms in our house, this one needs the most work. And it also happens to be the one we spend the most time in. Go figure.

So, I decided a few days ago that the white wall just wasn’t doing it for me.

It was a bit too plain. So I decided to jazz it up a bit.

And I momentarily cleared away the clutter to take a pretty photo. I’m tired of every photo being filled with background clutter.

Of course now, the clutter is back as I prepare to change the wall color, yet again. Someday this kitchen will be done.

It’s come a long way though.

I know that you all probably want me to put up a how I did it post for the cabinets. It’s in the works I promise. In the meantime, let’s enjoy this photo I took a couple of days ago.

Sure, I forgot to take the blue painters tape off of the appliances first, but whatever. You get the idea. Now just imagine a medium-dark gray granite on the counters, crisp white subway tile backsplash, and dark floors that could be stained concrete or slate tile. Because that is what I am currently imagining.

I am also imagining this:

How did people ever decorate or renovate their homes before we had the internet?

I really fretted over painting my kitchen cabinets. I was so scared I would do a bad job, or mess them up royally. Also, I just wasn’t looking forward to all of the work.

I really am glad I did it though. What a difference it makes.

My kitchen is still a disaster area as we continue to finish up the painting on the trim and the wood paneling. I’ll post more photos as soon as I tidy up.

In an effort to reduce clutter and bring on the sexy, I’ve decided that I want built in seating in my breakfast nook.

Here’s a before shot of said nook.

I really hate that ugly bakers rack. I’m not too fond of that table and those chairs anymore either. In my mind I picture something like this for my kitchen.

image from serenaandlily.com

image from remodelingguy.com

image from chordalgreen.com

Each one of those is different, yet they are all spectacular. Initially I was thinking along the lines of the second image where it looked more a restaurant booth. However, you can’t deny how gorgeous that bench seating is in the first image. And I love the clean lines and simplicity in the third photo. I don’t really need the seating to provide me any storage. I actually have pretty adequate storage in my kitchen. I do love the display shelves in the first photo and I absolutely want to do something like that. I was thinking I’d probably buy some of those floating Lack shelves from IKEA. I’ve already started collecting adorable trinkets that I would want to display.

The only problem with this grand idea of mine is that I’ve never used the kind of power tools a project like this would require. And it’s not like I can turn to my husband for help. I mean I could, but I’d probably be met with the blank stare of a man who had mentally checked out from the conversation. And since I just drained my savings account handing over a check to the contractor who ripped into our cabinets to install the new range, I’ve no money to hire him again for another job. And yes you read that right, I drained my savings account. The one I had started to build at the beginning of the year as part of my New Year’s Resolutions. I’m sad, but I’m ok with it. I can’t imagine any better way to have spent that money. Besides, I can start it back up again. Because granite counter tops aren’t going to pay for themselves.

This has been a long time coming. I’ve been blogging for years about how awful my kitchen is and how badly I want to remodel it. It’s just that kitchens are expensive and I am terrible at saving money.

So we’re calling this Phase One. Since I can’t afford to do everything at once.

Phase One includes:

• new appliances (fridge, range, microwave)
• painted cabinets
• painted walls and paneling
• decorative items (curtains, accessories)

We are not finished with Phase One yet, but I got enough done over the weekend that I can show you this little sneak peek.

And in case anyone has forgotten what the old fridge looked like:

There’s still more painting to be done and the hardware is still missing from the cabinets and drawers, but this gives you an idea of what I spent my weekend doing.

Phase Two will probably include granite counter tops and tile back splash. Phase Three will be new floors. Either tile or slate. If we ever hit Phase Four it means that we either won the lottery or they struck oil on my grandmother’s land. In which case that brick wall, which is the backside of the fireplace, will get torn down and the kitchen will open up into the living room.

Right now, I’m comfortable saying that we are 70% done with Phase One. And I couldn’t be happier.

I set a goal for myself at the beginning of the year. I was going to bring my breakfast and lunch to work every single day for the entire month. Not only would I save quite a bit of money, but I had hoped it would help with my eating habits and whatnot. I was in the habit of going out to lunch on average 3 times a week. And probably buying breakfast out that much as well.

Well I’m proud to say I did it. I’m not sure how much money I saved since joining Weight Watchers and buying all that extra produce wasn’t cheap, but I know I had to have saved something. I’m pretending that I saved $140. Why? Because that’s how much my new Kindle cost. And so I’m pretending that Kindle was my reward for doing good.

It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. It’s kind of nice not having to figure out where to go for lunch every day. And while I do miss things like sausage rolls and donuts and Brewburgers, I know that I ate better and I lost 10lbs. I know I can’t keep this up for the whole year, but I think I will allow myself a once a week exception. I’m very excited to try the new oatmeal from McDonald’s. It looks yummy and healthy.

One of my resolutions for the year was to stop moving my keep the change money from my savings back to my checking. This went better than expected in January. Not only did I not take any money out, I managed to put more in savings than just the amount from the keep the change program. I’ve added an addendum to that resolution where I put X amount of each paycheck into savings and I leave it there. So, one month down, 11 more to go. If I can last the whole year I can probably buy myself new counter tops. They will go great with my new appliances.

Did I mention I’m getting new appliances? I didn’t think this would happen for a very long time, but it’s totally happening. Thank you Uncle Sam for giving me back enough of my money to make this happen. I’ve already picked out my fridge. She’s a beaut.

It’s a much nicer fridge than I originally had set out to get. And almost twice the price. It is still significantly cheaper than many other ones I saw, so I’m pleased.

I’m still trying to decide on an oven. We don’t currently have a gas line so I have been looking at electric, but I’m thinking that maybe if it’s not too big of a deal to get a gas line I would rather do that. Also I’m switching from a cooktop and double oven to an all in one range. This will require some construction to take place in our kitchen. I’m really hoping that all of this comes cheap. And quick.

So that’s my life as of late. Oh and we’re still snowed in. I did make it to work yesterday and today, but then it started snowing again so I left early. I have zero plans to leave my house all weekend.

I’m gonna let you all in on a little secret…. I’m kind of impulsive. And impatient. When I decide I want something, I want it now. Of course this is really only a secret to those of you who have never met me in person. There’s a reason I’ve been saving the kitchen for last in my room by room makeover. Although technically I suppose I’m saving the den for last. The den will cost so much to properly repair and fix up that I’m not sure that will ever happen without one of those second mortgages people talk about.

So here we are at the kitchen. You know, the one with the brown appliances from the 70′s. Well, except for one appliance. The dishwasher.

We had to replace the one that came with the house about a year after we moved in. I don’t think we realized that it would end up being the only stainless steel appliance in our house for the next 8 years. I like to think I’m a practical girl. I know I like to shop and have nice things, but I also do my best to make sure that everything I buy is on sale. Or priced really well to begin with. I may own 5 really nice designer leather handbags, but I did not pay full price for any of them. And in fact, three of them were purchased used on ebay. I’m all for out with the old and in with the new so that my collection doesn’t turn into something you’d see on one of the less vomit inducing episodes of Hoarders.

So yes, I’m a very practical girl. This is why you won’t find me looking for Viking ranges or Kitchen Aid refrigerators. I know what I can afford and what I can’t. And as long as something is aesthetically pleasing, it doesn’t have to have all the bells and whistles. This is why I drove around a Ford Focus for seven years that didn’t even have power locks or windows. I still miss that car sometimes.

Shopping for appliances can be a bit overwhelming. One gets giddy and excited over things like side by side fridges and double ovens and gas ranges. Then I’m brought back down to earth by looking at the price tag. Do I need two ovens? No. I have two ovens now and only the tiny bottom one works and not as well as it should. And I’ve made do with that for three years now. My cooktop has four burners, but only the back two have worked for as long as I can remember. I mean, I suppose the front two work, but when the burners catch on fire, you just kind of learn not to use those. And the fridge I have now is plenty big enough. I mean there’s only two of us. And even though we really like to eat, it’s more than enough for us. Especially since we have a deep freeze in the garage should we need extra storage. So no, I don’t need a fancy double door fridge with the water and ice on the outside. I am, however, putting my foot down when it comes to an ice maker. I refuse to buy and brand new fridge that won’t at least make the ice for me.

Man I take a really long time to get to the point don’t I? The point is, I think I’ve picked out my new refrigerator and range. And now I’m experiencing that I WANT IT NOW feeling.

I mean, it is my birthday week after all. And Christmas is just a couple of months away.

I love how this blog has gone from one where I mostly talk about tv and what I ate, into one where I mostly talk about home improvement stuff. And what I ate.

I really wish Home Depot had some kind of rewards card like Sephora or Ace. I spend so much money there, it would be nice to get back a little something.

The main reason I shop at Home Depot instead of Lowe’s? Behr paint. Specifically the Behr Ultra primer and paint in one. I saw many a commercial for it on HGTV, but I’m pretty sure it was Zoot who gave me the proper nudge to go ahead and buy some. Sure it’s more expensive, but the whole “you get what you pay for” saying really holds true. Two coats of this stuff is really all you need. And with some of my lighter colors, that second coat has been really lazily and sparingly slapped on.

Also, can take a moment to give thanks for the person who invented paint rollers? Can you imagine trying to paint everything with a brush? God bless the paint rollers. Amen.

So we all know I’ve been slowly making over each room in my house one at a time. We also know that I’ve been saving the hardest rooms for last. Like the kitchen and the den.

Well I started on the kitchen this past weekend. I decided to ease myself into by just painting the walls first. Since there’s not a lot of wall space in the kitchen, it was pretty easy.

My breakfast nook went from this:

to this:

I really went back and forth on the paint color for this room. The bright green that was on the wall was really distorting the paint samples. So I just trusted my gut and the paint swatch I liked the most. I am so glad I did. This photo doesn’t even properly display the color on the walls, but I love it. It’s that perfect greenish blue that’s not quite turquoise and not quite teal but oh so lovely.

I almost didn’t want to show this photo yet because I wanted to do a big dramatic MOVE THAT BUS reveal once the whole kitchen was done, but I just couldn’t wait. So if you’ll just imagine what it will look like with white cabinets and paneling and cute art and things on the wall.

And I promise that I will get it done as soon as I can.

For anyone who is interested, here is a breakdown of the paint colors I have used so far:

Master Bedroom – Tide Pools
Craft Room – Creamy Mushroom
Guest Room – Suede Gray
Main Bathroom – Sliced Cucumber
Front Doors and Shutters – Legacy
Kitchen – Opal Silk
Trims, doors, cabinets, and closets have all been painted either Coastal Beige or Pillar White. They are very similar with Pillar White being just a bit brighter white than Coastal Beige.

*****

Also, if anyone is reading this and lives in my area and wants to volunteer their time to come and help me paint my kitchen cabinets, just know I will accept the offer. I will feed you and beverage you and buy you an awesome Christmas present. I will even let you pick the music we listen to. Oh and should any company out there want to sponsor me with shiny new appliances to replace my brown ones, I’ll gladly give you a kidney. I’d offer you a first born, but I’m not sure I could make good on that one.

It’s funny how I sit over here agonizing over what color to paint my kitchen. I go back and forth and hem and haw. Yet I was able to decide on a color for the outside of my house in no time flat. I made the decision to go purple, walked into the Home Depot and looked at three swatches and just picked one.

It didn’t turn out quite as dark as I had pictured it in my head, but it is quite a lovely shade.

And now I can tell people “it’s the house with the purple door”.

Sorry for the quality of these. I had the manual focus on and didn’t realize it.

We spray painted all the brassy hardware so that it would look like brushed nickel. Except that the doorknobs and deadbolt didn’t turn out so well. So I bought new ones. But then the hole for the deadbolt wasn’t big enough and we didn’t have one of those drill attachment thingies to bore a bigger hole. Also, we didn’t have a drill. At least not a drill big enough to support one of those attachments. So we tried to borrow one from the neighbor. But instead he just hooked us up with a whole new deadbolt/knob set. He’s kind of awesome like that. I’ll be baking him a thank you pie. I’m thinking butterscotch.

I also bought fancy new house numbers and a new $5 light for the porch.

I suppose now would be a good time to add a proper drill to the amazon wish list. We have this little cordless power thing with screwdriver and drill bits, but it’s kind of wee. And girly. Maybe I should get one of these.

I do have a birthday this month.