Thank Goodness for the Flashlight App

I have a love/hate relationship with my beautiful hardwood floors, and last night at 10:00 I was hating them more than I was loving them.  As we moved through the house putting on the second coat of polyurethane the flashlight app on the iPhone became my new favorite app.  We did not want to leave all of the lights on in the house, so once we got towards the end it was the only way to tell whether or not we were putting on a nice even coat.
At 1:30 today after our THIRD AND FINAL coat of poly I am in love with my floors again....

{Aren't they pretty? Not too light, not too dark...just perfect}

{Just a peek at my pretty farm sink...minus a cabinet door}

House Renovation Update....Kitchen

Everything is moving right along and we are finally seeing an end in sight, but we had a huge unfair little hiccup yesterday.  We had removed everything from the house to refinish the floors and placed it in a trailer out front of our house.  It was full of stuff for the house (including my brand new GAS RANGE that I splurged on) and a bunch of tools.  I am telling you all of this, so that if you live in the Jacksonville area you can be on the lookout for the trailer.  It is a pewter trailer that has a black Harley Davidson symbol on the front & says "Caution: Iron Horses" on the back.  If you by chance see it please call the police.

Now on to the kitchen...

The kitchen is one of the largest transformations in our home, and after lots of hard work it is finally coming together.  Originally it was VERY small and only two or three people could be standing inside the kitchen.  As an event planner I think of everything in terms of "when we have people over."  I did not want to be stuck in the kitchen cooking by myself, so we opened up the wall for an open floor plan.
 

{The wall before}

{Our demo "X"}

{The old kitchen}

{Wall is gone...next was the electrical panel}

{Beam got put in & can lights were added}

{The ceiling goes in}

{The cabinets are in!!!! They look a little bit yellow here, but the sink cabinet is the true color}

{Left Side of the kitchen}

We still are not completely there yet, but it is getting very close!  End panels & crown moulding still need to go up, but I love, love, love my new shaker style cabinets.

Home Renovation Update...Paint & Floors

We have been super busy this past week finishing all of the painting & prepping our floors to be refinished.  After pricing out several floor companies we decided that we would save a TON of money if we did it ourselves.  We are not pros, but I did a lot of research and will share all of the steps once we get moved in.  Since I am exhausted and headed to work on the house don't have much time to put this post together here are a few pictures of the progress.  You may or may not notice, but we have added trim to all of the windows & it make such a difference!

{Before}

{BM Revere Pewter at 50%.  All trim & ceiling are BM White Dove }

{Before Guest Bedroom}

{BM Wickham Gray}

{Before Master Bedroom}

{BM Potterybarn colors Cumulous Cloud at 75%}

{Guest Bath Before}

{BM Coventry Gray on bottom. BM White Dove on top}

{Hall Before...Now Laundry Room}

{New Laundry Room. BM Revere Pewter at 75%} 

{Round Room Before} 

{BM Revere Pewter at 75% with the NEW FLOORS}

{This color is a little more accurate}

{The kitchen cabinets are in, but that deserves a post of its own tomorrow}

My Dad & A House Update

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend celebrating their dads.  I have the most amazing dad and I am truly blessed to have such a great example of a husband and father in my life.  He has been a rock for our family during my mom's battle with cancer, and I love him dearly.

{I love you dad}

As far as the house goes, things are coming along.  We have painted everything but the bathrooms, and it looks like a new place.  A fresh coat of paint does wonders and makes it feel so clean even though it is still a mess.  If you are looking for a quick and easy update to a room try a new color.  It can give your space a whole new feel. 

{A fresh coat of paint in the living room.  Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter at 50%}

 A lot of our finishes for the bathrooms and kitchen have been purchased, and are arriving.  Amazon & ebay might be my new best friends.  I never thought I would be so happy about plumbing fixtures, but I'll admit I did a happy dance when our Shaws farm sink arrived.  We are planning to have the bathrooms installed this week...I'm so excited that it is all coming together.

{Master shower controls}

{Shaws farm sink}

The kitchen floors have been partially laid and the "round room" floors will be next.  I am happy to say that I actually helped with part of these, but my back and legs are paying for it now.  A massage is in my near future. :) Here is a sneak peek...

{Kitchen floors being laid}

I promise I will be back soon with more progress...

Our Home: Painting our Ceiling

We have been painting the house & oh what a difference it makes.  Even though it is still a mess, a fresh coat of paint makes it feel as if I could move right in.  When we first bought the house we were in love with the dark wood tongue and groove ceiling, but quickly realized that it made the room feel smaller and darker.  We debated whether or not we should paint the flat part white and leave the beams dark, and I am SO glad we went for it.  The room feels so much larger and airy and the dark beams are so beautiful.

{Before}

{Taping the beams off}

{Our first glimpse at beautiful beams...I'll admit I was having a panic attack that one of these was going to be covered in white paint}

{The result via @_juliannekelly instagram}

{Enjoying my beautiful corner in the midst of chaos}

Pina Colada Popsicles

Homemade popsicles remind me of childhood summers.  My mom used to make them for us all the time when we were little, and they were always a hit.  Over memorial day in the Keys I made some pina colada popsicles that were oh so good...

{coconut milk, honey & pineapple}

{Pour into popsicle molds.  Mine were from World Market}

{All ready to freeze}

{Mom & Dad enjoying the popsicles}

{If you look closely you can see the little chunks of pineapple}

What you need:

• Popsicle mold
• 1/2 of a fresh pineapple sliced
• 3/4 of a can of coconut milk
• 3 Tablespoons of honey

How to Make:

• Place first 3 ingredients in blender & puree:
• 1/4 of a fresh pinapple sliced
• 3/4 of a can of coconut milk
• 3 Tablespoons of honey
• Then at the very end add the leftover pineapple and pulse the blender, leaving small chunks.

Super easy, very inexpensive, and even healthy! 

Enjoy!

House Progress: Guest Bath

Well the last few weeks have been off and on at the house.  There has been a lot of work that is not very noticeable in pictures, but makes our home much safer and more efficient like plumbing, electrical and insulation.  We have started priming the walls, which means paint is soon to follow! Here is the progress of our guest bath...

{Before}

{A new water heater...the old one took up the whole space before.  We will be adding shelves and doors for more storage.}

{Guest Bath}

{DIY Board & Batten in the guest bath}

{Guest bath with a coat of primer}

This little bathroom is starting to come together nicely.  I am planning on painting the paneling a grey similar to the picture below hoping it will add contrast to the white sink and toilet.

{Guest Bath inspiration}