take a gander....

Geese!!...

Master Bath....Before

Master Bath

I am at the point of shopping for kitchen cabinets and I have a feeling that may take awhile. So I thought I might post the master bath. It's not finished yet but there is progress. I'm currently using the sink in this room as the kitchen sink so I am refusing to put a commode in here yet. The molding is up courtesy of our friendly next door handy guy who has been an incredible resource to us! He brings his future handy guy grandchild (3 yrs old) with him and occasionally just picks up projects and goes to it!! If everyone had a neighbor like this it would be a happy happy world! The vanity we bought off of craigslist.org. If you haven't explored craigslist we strongly suggest it. ( Warning: shopping on craigslist may be habit forming.) The shower is from Lowes. It's a bath remodel on a budget because we have the kitchen area that is taking up a huge portion of our budget. The room is on our first floor as well as two of our four bedrooms. The room needed to be guest ready too because of it's location so I opted not to put a bathtub in here. I would love that type of room.....it just wasn't in the cards for me here. I am still really happy with the space...and all in all it was still an improvement. The tile is a clearance item from Home Depot and the grout is gray. I found the shower curtain from Khols and the teak shower mat from Target. ( I'm doubting the mat is really teak ... but I like it because it serves it's purpose and I don't have to leave a damp bath mat hanging in the room.) The carpet runner is from our previous house and is showing it's age....but it matches. The extra space ( where there is an old chair) will probably turn into a closet. For now, the space is fine.

Good Morning Neighbor

Happy Valentine's Day

We are rich in Valentine's....not much else but I wouldn't have it any other way! Dear Sissy...I have a neighbor who delivers like the best red and white sprinkled donuts for Valentine's .....coming over?

Two things that crack me up....3 year old Ry singing the Target song...."You say goodbye...and I say hello...hello...hello...I don't know why you say good "buy" I say hello..." I must take him there all too often. Also...me....taking pictures of donuts. I guess that's what happens when dear husband works on Valentine's!!
God's blessing for a brilliant St. Valentine's day!

( JB made the X's and O's in the picture...fun craft! To give credit ...the idea was from a blogger and I can't remember who.... ) I guess that's sort of credit.

Window treatments

This is the basement view under the addition. We'll eventually put up real walls. For now...what to do with the windows? Blinds for now?

Window treatments

This window will be over the kitchen sink.

Window treatments

My friend is shopping for window treatments and inspired me get window treatment ideas!

This is the original and new living room spaces. Without a color picked out for the walls...( leaning toward Bamboo ) I'm just looking for something to provide a little bit of privacy.

Roasted Butternut Squash

I'm not going to pretend this is a cooking blog but I was inspired to photograph my food for whatever reason. If you try this ... let me know how you like it. I served it with pecan crusted salmon ( thank you Giant Eagle ) and a glass of white wine.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Onions

serves 6 Cooking time: 35 min Preheat oven: 425

1 butternut squash peeled and cubed
2 med red onions cut up
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425
Combine all ingredients in a 13x9" baking dish. Toss to coat and bake for 35 min. until squash is fork tender and nicely browned.

Really...I used to have a stove

I used to have a stove....I came across this picture of our first home. It was a picture taken to put on a flyer to advertise "for sale by owner." I guess what struck me as funny is.... I would have never looked in awe at the oven when we were living there. I could only look forward and long for the better location....the bigger yard...and maybe the new kitchen...

What I've learned from some of my family (who are too shy to blog) and fellow blogger community....is that what's in front of us today is so precious. Be happy in the moment....value the moment....

Thanks to anyone who stumbles across this blog....I learn so much from this community too.

God Blessings......

Dining table

The table you see on the right with the wrought iron bottom is another craigslist find the top needs refinishing but I think we'll put it in the dining room when done. I think it matches the light fixtures better. We also found the double oven and the cooktop on craigslist but that's another day.....

Dining room

Hmmmm..is that a dresser in your dining room? Why, yes it is!

And on it is JB's Valentine wreath. Because there is still construction everywhere...I keep rolling around furniture and putting it in different places. The dresser won't stay.

Dining room

Floor stained natural minwax #209.

Dining room

Happy happy....new floor...and a place to put my mailbox!

Anyone who knows me has heard the light story...I'll spare you all here. But I seriously got this light fixture for free and a kitchen island light to match for $72. If your in the Cleveland area, the store is called Lights Out and it's a Hinkley lighting outlet. Long story short....prayers answered!

Dining room

Love these boys!!

Dining room

Love this man!!)

Old dining room

The dining room is still to the left but the kitchen is completely gone and you can see the start of the master bath in place of the kitchen on the right. We ( by we I mean I here ) found the bath vanities on craigslist. The one piece surround shower that had to come in when the house was opened on the side for the addition is from Home Depot. On a side note...a lesson we learned....we bought the fiberglass one piece shower the night before it was to come into the house. So it sat in our backyard one night. Evidently, squirrels like to eat fiberglass. We had little nibbles here and there....thank goodness in areas that weren't hard to conceal. oops...the master bath is another day...


Fast forward to walls....color (Cabin Red ) and a new closet to be.....and floor being rebuilt. We were able to salvage some of the original floor but it did require some new red oak floor pieces.

Old dining room

We ( by we I mean my husband ) tore out the green shag carpet and knocked down a wall that was joining the 10x10 kitchen to the dining room that you see here. Some ceilings and other misc. walls came down in the process. Dear hub loves demo!

We lived like this for awhile and eventually the wall with the skinny door leaning on it came down to make way for the addition that was built on to the length of the house.

Original dining room

We were happy to see the hardwood floors under the matted shad green carpet!!)

A girl can dream.......

We're installing one of these in the basement for time-outs!