the little things

our new (to us) kitchen island

Ever since we moved into this house, I have dreamed of having a kitchen island.  Just a little free standing one, that could be moved out of the way if we needed.. something to fill the big 'u-shape' that is our kitchen.  It just screamed 'put and island here.. put an island here!' lol.. I looked at a few, but never committed.  Honestly, for the size we needed.. the quality just wasn't easily found.  I wanted something solid.  I didn't really want it to have wheels.. and as time went on, I wanted something I could paint.  Locally, I could find nothing.  NOTHING.

Then, this summer.. I found an island on an online classified site.  They were asking $100.  Originally from Ikea she said (which is fine by me).. but what I loved is the plain simple build of it.  PLUS.. it came with 2 large baskets (and you know how much I loooove baskets lol).. pretty good deal.  Well, the summer went by.. and then fall... and after originally contacting her and then sort of backing out (I felt horrible).. but the timing just wasn't right, and I didn't want to bring it home and have it sit there waiting for me to paint. lol  I assumed it would be gone actually.. then last week (well into winter now! lol) it came up on the site again.  SO I phoned her.  Apologized for leaving her hanging.  James went the next night.. brought it home and ended up paying $80 for the island and baskets.  SCORE!  Plus, I already had the paint.. so all we needed on top of that was an little can of polyurethane and we were set!

After 2 coats of paint and 2 coats of polyurethane.. this is what it looks like!  I looooooove it!  I can't remember what the kitchen looked like without it!

 

You can click on the pictures to see them a bit bigger.. it really is fantastic... I wish you could all see it in person! hee!  Our kitchen was one of the things that we didn't get to select many of the materials when making the decisions on the house.. we bought the house after it already had a start on it, so all the plans were already made.. it was seriously like pulling teeth to make the changes that we did.  The cabinets were one of our changes.. and they actually went in wrong the first time! ahhh!  But the counter top and backsplash are soooo very neutral (we didn't get to pick those.. well we might have been able to fight them.. but we chose our battles carefully ha ha ..they aren't bad though, so we chose to battle them on something else! lol), I am so happy to have a bit of a 'statement making' piece in the kitchen now!  Something that is 'us' so to speak!  

 

 

I also recovered the stools a few weeks ago.. those are originally 'garage stools' found in the automotive department... and they were sooooo cheap! lol  So cheap, that the vinyl cracked and peeled within months of having them.. children's picky little fingers didn't help the situation all that much either! lol  I covered them with fabric this time.. I was going to do vinyl again, but I was bored one day.. I had the fabric here, so I figured I would give it a go! lol  Definitely won't peel this time! hee heee!

 

It is definitely coming along.. the island to me, made the difference... to me, it is finally a cozy kitchen.. the way I picture a kitchen.  Not bad for $80 hey!?

Later! :) 

he can be sooo sneaky sometimes!

A quick story to share this morning.  Then I have to run to town and grab some groceries and some cat litter (because OMG we are out, and the litter box is sooo nasty).. and some yarn... for some fun Christmas stuff.  Busy day!  Then home to scrap.. because a deadline isn't a deadline unless you cram on the day it is due right? ha!

OK.. the story.  So, the other night.. I am in the kitchen waiting for James to get home.  He had picked up Pizza and we were huuuungry, so we were just chillin' right there in the kitchen waiting for him! lol  He also went to Home Depot to pick up some doors (my yellow paint project).. when he got home, I knew he had to unload the doors.. so I went to go out to his truck to grab the pizza, so he wouldn't have to make quite as many trips into the house.  Well, he grabbed the pizza out for me instead, and then passed it to me.  I thought hmmm weird. lol  Then I bugged him about having something hidden in the truck that I couldn't see. ha!  I took the pizza in, and he carried the doors in.

Harley was helping himself to the pizza (seriously reached up to the box and pulled out a slice and then walked around munching.. like I said, we were hungry! lol).. so I was trying to help him with that (James was back outside at this point)... then the house phone rang.  I went to answer it.. the caller ID said it was my cell phone.  WHAT?  My cell phone was sitting RIGHT THERE beside the house phone.  What the heck is happening?? OMG.. I seriously did not know what to think!  I am saying hello? hello? ..no answer.  WHAT? lol

Then walks in James carrying the prettiest white box I have ever seen.  Holding one of these..

AHHHHHHHHHHH! lol  Sneaky isn't he?  OMG.. eeeeeeeeeeeek!  He is so bad, but ohhhhh sooooooooo gooooooood! heeee!  Oh yes, he knows I have a thing for sparkly gadgets! lol  I still can't get over the fact that he just went and did it, and surprised me! heee!  I have the one on the right there.. a shiny white one!  It is soooo purrrrrty! lol  Seriously cool.  Seriously seriously best hubby in the whole entire world! ;)  I suppose the persistent 'white or black' question the night before make a little more sense now.. I kinda figured maybe there would be a box under the tree, and that was why he was asking... never in a million years did I think he would do this!  Crazy man of mine.  Oh how I love him. :)

Really though?  HOW FREAKED OUT WAS I??  My cell phone that was sitting there phoning the house?  Oh yes.. I think he cooked up this plan and haaaad to go get the phone just so he could follow through with it. lol  He likes playing tricks like that!  Nahhh.. he is just the bestest hubby ever!!  xoxo  OR.. maybe he just wanted me to stop yapping about the phone, it has been kinda non stop chatter in the house since our provider started carrying them about a month ago! hee heee! lol ;)

So, to pay him back (for his little horror movie phone call trick lol)..

 

A picture of him in his undies! ha!  My very first picture from my phone! lol  The protective plastic was still on.. couldn't bring myself to take it off quite yet! hee heee!

How fair is that hey?  He surprises me with an iPhone, and I take (and post) a picture of him in his undies.  Oh yes.. that is true love I tell you! xoxo <3 <3 <3  Love you babe! :)

we have a winner!

Congrats Lorelle!  I sooooo enjoyed reading everyones favourite traditions, and definitely would love to try to incorporate some of these into our own holiday traditions!  I seriously had so much fun reading these comments as they came in today!  Thank you all for sharing! :)

Lorelle, I am going to email you and Shimelle both right now! Congrats again!  Enjoy!  AND thank you Shimelle for being so very generous!! :)

Nighty night all!

polyurethane really stinks

hee heee!  How is that for a post title?  You are probably thinking 'what the heck?' ..yeah, I kinda am too! lol  I broke out the turquoise paint the other day.. mmmm mmmmmm turquoise.  Anybody getting sick of my turquoise ramblings yet?  Well, good news is.. I have another paint project lined up.. and it is going to be YELLOW! ha ha!

Here is a little sneaky sneak (oh I know, how fun is that right?)..

 

AWESOME! lol  I will give you a hint.. I mentioned it way back during the summer on this blog post here. :)  It may have something to do with a kitchen island, online classifieds an urge to paint something turquoise. lol  Well, I had contacted the lady about the island the day after I blogged that.. and then life got a little hectic, and I shamefully backed out... then, to my surprise.. I saw it on kijiji still last week! woo hooooo!  So, I phoned her up, apologized for leaving her hanging like I did.. turned out we were practically neighbors... so James went and picked it up he very next day.. and the day after that, it got a makeover! lol  Gotta love great deals.. and paint! hee!

It has a coat of stinky polyurethane drying on it right now.. with the window open and the fan on (did I mention how much it stinks? lol)... gotta add some durability and wipeability (is that a word?) lol since it will be in the kitchen, but wow.. do I ever dislike polyurethane. ha ha!  Winter and cold out.. window open, fan on.. sooo not right!?  It is very chilly upstairs right now! lol 

I can not wait to share a photo!  My stools had a little makeover too (they were sooo close to going to the garage, where they technically belong, but I decided to give them another chance).. and I have been wanting to share those.. but they were looking a little too 'country' but now with this bold piece.. they are just looking funky!  I hope.. maybe still a smidgen country, but in a more 'me' way! hee!

OK.. enough rambling! lol  I gotta get my little man down for a nap, before it is too late!  ..you know, before we get to the point of no return! lol

Later!

a journal your christmas giveaway!! *closed*

Yay for giveaways!!  I am sure you have all heard of the 'Journal Your Christmas' album/journaling class right?  Well, super sweet Shimelle is offering up a spot to her lovely class to one of my blog readers! YAY!  Seriously, her class rocks.. I signed up for it last year, and it is sooooo great!  The journaling prompts that you get are soooo fantastic! To read more about the details of the class.. click here and you will be taken to her site where she tells you all about it! 

Here is an image of a completed album that I snagged of her site, isn't it beautiful!?

 

Her class really does help you forever capture the magic of Christmas.. as it should be... not the hustle and bustle that seems to take over or lives during the holidays.. but the magical part.. imagine how great that would be to have captured in an album!  AND, once you are in.. you are IN... you get to take part next year too! ..and the year after, so as long as she keeps doing them... you can too!

 

Normally the class is $32 US.. which in itself is a steal if you ask me... considering it is a lifetime membership!  So awesome right!?  But TODAY.. for one lucky blog reader, it is FREE!  Class starts tomorrow.. so I am only going to leave comments open on this post until 10pm (my time.. which is MST)... that way, I can let the lucky winner know tonight!

How about.. in the spirit of Christmas... share your favourite Christmas tradition in the comment section below and you will be entered to win!  Easy!

One that I have passed on to my kids.. and that my mom did for my brother and I... Christmas ornaments, each year I pick out an ornament for them.. one that captures them, and what they are loving that year (this year, Harley's is a Thomas the Tank Engine one and Laine's is a glamorous Barbie shoe.. Harley is obsessed with that little blue train, and Laine loves Barbies and all things fashion.. so they are perfect for them this year!).. then, when they are grown and moved out on their own... starting their own lives (sniff sniff).. they have a start on a tree full of memories of their very own.  Just like I did when I moved out one my own.. thanks for that by they way hey mom! ;) (sniff sniff some more! heee!)

Can't wait to read about all of your favourite traditions!  Just leave a comment about a tradition (either existing, or one you would like to start for yourself or your family) below and I will announce the winner on this post (and by email) later on tonight!  YAY for Christmas!!! :)

ETA the winner.. Lorelle!  Thank you everyone for playing along!  I had so much fun reading all of your wonderful family traditions today, so very heartwarming!  Thanks again to Shimelle for be soooo very generous!! :)