Meals - Week 23

It was a routine meal week this week – everything was good, but nothing was ‘outstanding’. Oh well, some weeks are going to be like that. And since life seems to be getting faster and faster, good is . . . good enough.

Sunday: Veggie pasta with homemade cream sauce

Monday: BBQ burgers

Tuesday: BBQ pork chops with mashed potatoes

Wednesday: leftover pasta from Monday

Thursday: Chicken with rice and veggies

Friday: spaghetti and meatballs

Saturday: BBQ hot dogs

As you can see, we BBQ a lot when it’s nice out – summer seems to last a very short time around here, so we take advantage of it while we can J

Cheers! Kim

Meals - Week 22 - and a shredded carrots recipe

Another week of successful meal planning – yahoo!

My goal at the beginning of the year was to eat a different dinner every night for three months - and while not every meal has been new and different, about 80% of the meals we’re making are different. And I did have a bump in my planning, but it's June - so I say I've officially accomplished my goal! J

That’s a huge accomplishment! It’s fun to pick new recipes – and everyone helps out where they can, so it makes dinner a bit more special.

Here’s our menu plan for the week:

Sunday: BBQ – sausages and baked potatoes. We use the BBQ a lot in the summer because the kitchen gets really hot. This is one of our go-to meals.

Monday:  Takeout Swiss Chalet. Mr. E was out of town so the boys and I ordered in. J

Tuesday: Crockpot Chicken with Olives – the boys and I prepped this before we left in the morning, and it was so nice to come home to an already cooked meal. We added some mashed potatoes and that was it!

Wednesday: Leftover French onion soup – we made this last Saturday and re-heated it today.

Thursday: Pork chops with shredded carrots – Mr. E BBQ’d (again! J) and I made a carrot side dish. There was a lot of cilantro in it and the boys weren’t big fans, but they sure got their veggies! J

Image and recipe from Fine Cooking

Friday: Takeout pizza – I know I’ve said this before, but by the time Friday rolls around, we’re just exhausted and need something super simple for dinner. Takeout pizza isn’t the healthiest choice, but every once in a while is okay.

Saturday: BBQ burgers and hot dogs. Like I said, we BBQ a lot in the summer J

Enjoy your week!

Cheers,

Kim

Kitchen Update - part 2

Wow, this is a HUGE project (here’s how it started, last week).

This is how part 1 ended:

 

And to be completely honest, it doesn’t look a lot different, even though I’ve put a ton of work into it.

The paint I’m using needs 16 hours of drying time between coats (Benjamin Moore Advance) – so that’s one coat a day. I paint light coats, so the cabinets need four coats (yup, 4). The oak grain is quite deep, so the fourth coat finally covered all the grain enough that I was happy with it.

So – that’s four days for one side of the cabinets. Then I have to turn them over and spend four days painting the other side.

I spent every night last week painting – the stove and countertops make a good work surface:

At least the dishes can go back in the wall cabinets. The four coats are done on those.

So, at the end of a very long week, here’s what I have:

No doors on any cabinets, which shows me exactly how unorganized my bottom cabinets are L Here are the bottom cabinet doors waiting to be sanded and filled and primed.

I’m moving them into the garage tonight to start that.

Oh well, ‘they’ say it always looks worse before it looks better, right?

As I mentioned last week, please wish me luck because I think I’m going to need it.

Cheers! Kim

Kitchen Update - Part 1

As I mentioned here, I decided that updating the kitchen would be my big project for the year. The kitchen is fully functional and a decent size, but I don’t like the oak cabinets and dark tile backsplash. The entire kitchen seems dark and dated. I’d love a bright white space to cook and bake and entertain in – because truly, this is where everyone ends up.

That was back in January – and until this past weekend, I hadn’t done anything else about it. What an overwhelming project – painting the cabinets, new tile, granite countertops – where to begin?

I bought paint:

And started. I’d procrastinated enough.

Here’s what the kitchen looked like when I started:

I took the molding off the top, and washed the tops of the cabinets. Yuck. This took a lot longer than I thought it would. But seriously, who ever looks at the top of their cabinets? Magic Eraser to the rescue – they took all the grime off (I’m blaming all the grease on Mr. E and his love of bacon J)

While I was up there, I decided to paint the wall behind the cabinets – might as well, since I was already standing on the counter. I used the same colour I painted my wall stencil with.

After that, it went pretty quickly – the doors came off, and I taped the walls and white parts of the cabinets.

The first brush of primer meant there was no turning back!

I primed the cabinets and called it a night – it was after 5, and I was tired. Proud, but tired.

So here’s where we ended up at the end of the day:

My plan for this week is to finish the cabinets and the doors, so the upper cabinets are done – so we can put the dishes away and actually eat at the kitchen table.

I’ll keep you posted, but wish me luck – I think I might need it. J

Cheers! Kim

52 Projects - #7 - A New Chandelier

Isn’t this a great chandelier? J

I love it – but it’s from Ballard Designs that doesn’t ship to Canada – and it’s $400! I’ve seen these lights in blog-land, but I thought I wouldn’t be able to find them up here.

Well, look what I found at HomeSense a few weeks ago!

It's almost the same light - there's no crystal at the bottom, but the size and shape are the same. And the best part? It was $180.  Woohoo! Obviously, it came home with me. J

Here's what our old light looked like - it was too small for the space.

Plus, it faded into the background and was very bland and boring:

Here’s what our eating area looks like now:

A bit closer:

 Compared to the Ballard Designs light, it's pretty close, don't you think?

It’s a bit higher than it should be – but the chain was only 5 feet long and this is an 11 foot high ceiling. It’s about the same height above the table as the old light, and I don’t notice that it should be 6 inches lower – and I doubt anyone else will either. J

Out with the old, and in with the new. 

Another project finished - what a great feeling.

Cheers! Kim

2012 Goals - The Rest of Them

As I finished writing my 2012 Home Goals, I thought about the goals I have - or have thought about, for other aspects of my life. I'm always thinking about life (see my word for the year here), trying to improve myself and coming up with wacky ideas. So here are some other goals that I've been thinking about:

Build a Better Blog:  There are so many bloggers that have been doing this for a lot longer than I have. I'm just starting out and realize I have a LOT to learn. So, I want to learn and absorb the best of what's out there, and make this blog more user-friendly and more 'me.' Who knows, I may get more people wanting to hear about what goes on around here.

Take Better Pictures:  I have a good camera, and good lenses, and darling Mr. E bought me a tripod for Christmas. So I have no excuse for not taking great pictures - other than operator inexperience. I have several friends who are fantastic photographers, and there are a lot of resources that can show me how to get better. And I have four reluctant semi-willing participants who can be my subjects while I practice.

Improve my Photo Editing:  I have a basic knowledge of photo editing - I can crop, brighten, change to black and white. Part of my full-time job involves using Adobe, so I have the latest version of Photoshop to use - and no idea how to do anything other than the basics. I'd like to change that this year.

Take More Time for Me:  I am positive that every Mom in the world has this as a goal - and I'm just as positive that most of those Mom's don't achieve it. I know that's me - I don't put myself first very often, and I really should. I'm happier, more relaxed and a better Mom and wife when I take time for myself. That doesn't have to be much - a few hours of window shopping, lunch with a girlfriend, a pedicure - just a bit of time to recharge on a regular basis.

Scrapbook More:  Part of taking time for me is spending time on activities I love. Scrapbooking is one of them. I have dozens, if not hundreds, of photos with stories I want to tell, but I never seem to have the time. I need to make the time.

More Reading, Less TV:   With less and less on TV that we like to watch, this shouldn't be too hard to do (doesn't it seem like most shows are repeats, over and over again?). This past week, we've started reading before heading to bed, and it's a nice relaxing way to end the day.

Let It Go:  Both at home and at work.  We have pre-teens in the house and they try my patience - this will only get worse if I can't learn to let things go and figure out 'which hill I am going to die on.' This will be a very hard one for me since I'm a bit of a control freak. If I don't, I'll go crazy though - and nobody wants me crazy. Trust me on this.

52 Projects:  I have ideas, lots of them. There are so many projects I'd like to complete that would improve our home. I'm not a Pinterest person yet, so these have been organized into a binder. If I can do one project a week, I'll have 52 completed projects this year. Some of them are small and easy to do, and some of them will take more time. Let's see how much time I actually have for this one.

Organize and De-clutter:  Our house is definitely a home - there is a lot of stuff that has accumulated over the years. Some of it makes our lives easier, but some of it just takes up space. Our neighbourhood has a community garage sale in June - I'd like to participate this year.

Be Healthier:  Eat less and exercise more. And eat healthy foods. Most of the time. We have a crazy schedule - in 2012, we start off with kid activities three nights a week. Trying to prepare healthy meals every night is challenging, and trying to fit exercise in every day is tough too. I'm working on the healthy meals (I talked about it here) and have started running a few days a week.

Looking at this list, it seems overwhelming - especially in a life that is consumed with kids' activities three nights a week, spending time with a wonderful husband, and - oh yeah - a full time job. But, having lofty ambition is what helps us to achieve more than we thought we could.

Either that - or whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I guess I'll see which one it turns out to be. :)

So, here's to 2012. I know it will be a good one!

Cheers,
Kim

2012 Home Goals

The blog world is a great place for ideas, inspiration and support - and a written reminder of what you've committed to! There's nothing like a good kick in the pants to keep you motivated :)

The Nester asked for bloggers to post their 2012 home goals on her site - what a great way to see what others are doing, and to get some inspiration from the amazing bloggers out there.

So, here goes mine:

My main goal for our home is to update the kitchen. Many people would love our kitchen, I know - it's big,  has lots of cupboards and counter space, and is truly the heart of our home.

But . . . I don't love it.

I don't even have a picture to show you - that's now much I don't love it. (Oh, and the fact that the light at night is terrible - although that would make it look worse and you'd totally understand why I don't love it)

What I like:

• the space  - it's a big kitchen with lots of cabinets, a huge island and 9 foot ceilings
• the stainless steel appliances - other than the hood fan over the stove
• the walk-in pantry - the VERY disorganized pantry
• it's the heart of our home - when we have people over, they sit at the island while I work in the kitchen.

What I don't like:
the orange-y oak cupboards - the kitchen looks very dated
the black backsplash tile - they absorb light and make everything look dark
the green laminate countertops - yup. Enough said about those.
And the fact that it's so incredibly dark - even with massive west-facing windows, it is a dark space.

You can see most of what I'm talking about in this picture:

We spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so I really want it to reflect my our tastes - on a budget of course.

While this isn't exactly what I want, it's close:

from Canadian House and Home website

White cabinets on the walls, and a dark island - gorgeous!

Mr. E and I have talked about it and we are going to tackle painting the cabinets and island, and install a new backsplash. We're going to splurge on a new countertop too - but get someone who knows what they're doing to do that part! I found some great tips and tricks at Young House Love - so fingers crossed that it's as easy as they make it look.

That's my main house goal for 2012. Working full time and having two boys in a variety of evening activities doesn't leave a lot of time for major projects. And this won't be a quick or easy project, I'm sure (but don't tell Mr. E that ;))

But, if we have some 'free' time, the other home project that I'd love to tackle is adding 'lockers' to the laundry/mud room to make it more useable, like this idea from Ana White:

I'll keep my fingers crossed and see how much we can accomplish in 2012!

Cheers,
Kim