The Power of Paint: Kitchen Before & Afters

Making the kitchen feel like us had been our largest project to date. We were lucky because it wasn't in bad shape when we closed on the house - everything worked - but it just wasn't our style. Here's the before:

So much oak.

The only item that needed to be done was to refinish the hardwood floors in here. I don't think they'd been refinished in the entire lifespan of the house. You can't really tell from the pics above but there were spots so worn down that the finish was gone. We ended up replacing them because they were engineered hardwood (and not refinish-able...learned a good lesson there) and love the look of them now. We painted the cabinets and replaced the hardware as well. It's so light and bright in the kitchen! We did this project ourselves and it was a labor of love. It took about two weeks including paint curing time. The majority of the work was done in 2-3 hours bursts on the weekends and after work. Our diligence totally paid off though and the finish is durable and, dare I say, semi-professional! We also put in a stainless steel sink and new faucet.

When we had our first floor repainted, the kitchen got a new color too. The blue is so fresh and I think the cabinets really pop now. The old chandelier hit Craigslist and we added a new fixture that is not only brighter, but lower profile. It works a lot better in the space and it's now centered above the kitchen table.

We have plans to update all the appliances to stainless steel this summer. We've only replaced the dishwasher so far and already the stainless on that side of the kitchen blends SO much better with the cabinets, hardware and overall feel. Down the line, I'd love to try my hand at a DIY backsplash and maybe under cabinet task lighting. All in due time. :-)

Big "Brother" Rocco

When people ask us about Beckett, we often also get the question "And how is Rocco doing with him?" We are obviously obsessed with our first baby, the best and sweetest dog ever. We were actually a little worried about being able to give him enough attention when we had the baby. But he is doing GREAT!

He LOVES Beckett. He can't get enough of him. He is always trying to get a lick and sniff of the baby. Wherever Beckett is, Rocco is very close by, especially when we are playing on the floor. He is a little too excited sometimes (doesn't realize he is a 75 pound dog) so we have to reign him in. But I am so happy that his sweetness carries over to the baby and I can't wait for Beckett to get a little bigger and give him some love.

Here are some pics of the "brothers" from their 8 weeks together. 

We followed a few tips when we introduced Rocco and Beckett:

-Scott brought home the hat that Beckett wore right after he was born and let Rocco sniff it. 

-When we came home the next day, I went in first and greeted Rocco, let him smell me and gave him love. He sniffed me more than ever before and he was so excited so he must have not only missed me but smelled the baby all over me.

-Once I greeted him, Scott came inside with the baby carrier and we let Rocco sniff him.

I took a video of their first meeting. Enjoy!

 

Morning Play Time

Beckett absolutely loves his activity mat. (Thanks Aunt Steph!) He especially loves the black and white zebra that hangs down. He is fascinated by it. Here's a video I grabbed of him batting the animals and looking around.

I made the video using YouTube Capture which is an app for iPhone. I love my full size camera but my phone is always handy for cute pic and video moments. It's a pretty cool but now I know to turn my phone when I'm capturing footage! Sorry for the narrow angle. 

Beckett's First Month

We happily welcomed Beckett on February 21, two weeks early, into our lives and hearts. I wanted to share some pictures from his first month with us including the hospital and lots of loving visitors!

Beckett is doing great! He is a hearty eater and pretty good sleeper. He's getting so much more alert each day and we hope that we start to see some real smiles in the next couple weeks. He is very strong...he can lift his head all around and keep it upright when he's on your shoulder. He loves sleeping on your chest and bath time. He's not a fan of diaper changes and getting dressed though. He's a sweet little guy and we're just so smitten.

Maternity Leave Musings

Some random musings on maternity leave thus far:

I am grateful for E! for running Sex and the City reruns all day, every weekday. I've started recognizing reruns on my other go to, HGTV, which I never thought would happen. Daytime TV is bad. Can anyone recommend some Netflix series? 

On a related note, I really hate watching TV without DVR.

I am becoming an amazing one handed texter and have seen especially impressive strides with my left hand texting/iPhone maneuvering.

My little guy is so adorable when he falls asleep. Watching the expressions on his face and his little lips purse and "smile" is priceless.

I've always been sucked in to buying "comfy pants" when I see a super soft pair on sale. This has paid off mightily during these weeks at home! And those Kappa Semi Formal 2004 sweatpants? Good as the day I got them and a key member of the rotation.

You don't get much done. The three hour eat, play, sleep (and soothe while crying) cycle goes so fast...I had thoughts of getting some things done while I am home. We'll see...maybe later on though!

Coffee. So much coffee. And Diet Coke. Why doesn't Starbucks deliver?

With this weather, I have been living for 50+ degree days when I can take Beckett out, bundled up for a walk. Can it please be spring?!?!

I should be saving some money on makeup these three months. And hair products...

My husband working from home is pretty amazing. Having him around in the morning before he logs on and for lunch together (some days) makes life so much better.

I will leave you with a pic from one of our days together (no makeup and comfy pants!):

"You Are My Sunshine" Nursery

We put the finishing touch on Baby Sayler's nursery today when we hung up the video camera for the baby monitor. Before we hung it, I snapped some pics of the room to share. I have LOVED decorating this room and using yellow, which is a color I normally don't like in decorating. The room is bright and light and neutral, just ready and waiting for baby!

The paint color we chose is called Gray Husky (Benjamin Moore) and the accent stripes were done with a pure white sample from BM and a pale yellow color of Ace brand paint. We will be putting the baby's name in the stripe with white letters once we know if we have a little miss or mister.

I couldn't find any bedding that I really liked so my mom, the amazing sewer, helped me pick out fabrics and made the changing pad, pillow for the glider and crib skirt. My dad constructed the window cornices for us, which hide pull down blackout blinds. The fabric totally makes the room and I couldn't be happier.

Dresser - IKEA

Crib, mobile, sheets - Target.com, baskets - Joss and Main, window treatments and crib skirt - handmade 

We'll be adding baby's name in white block letters after he/she arrives.

Glider - Buy Buy Baby, shelves - Smartfurniture.com, picture frames (need to be filled!) - IKEA, pillow and blanket - handmade

 I love the little details in the room too. Here's a few close up pics.

Lamp base (spray painted) - Goodwill, shade - Target, rhino toy - gift

The little elephants in the sheet match the art prints and our humidifier (not pictured.)

Frames - IKEA, art prints - Etsy

Changing pad cover - handmade

Daddy checking out one of the books we received at our baby shower. 

I'm excited to add photos or maybe baby's footprints to the frames and display some personalized items once we have his/her name. Just a few more weeks!