I forgot to order a shelf for our china cabinet. We found it last year at a clearance center, and it was missing one shelf. That was almost a year ago!

I used the same company that made our cabinet door inserts for the kitchen. It cost $22.00. Why did I wait?

Our Christmas china fits nicely on the bottom, and I was able to free up some space in the kitchen cabinets.

It was time to get rid of the dishes the kids were using. They were flimsy plastic plates and bowls (the kind you get in the seasonal department at Walmart), and over the last few years, they became scratched and warped. I shouldn’t have kept them for so long! Each kid has their own new plate from Pier 1. I was so disappointed that the yellow ones were out of stock, but they are happy with red and green. I found bowls at Walmart for just $1.50 each! They match perfectly.

Micah and I found some cool new glass pieces to display in the kitchen cabinets. We went to Marshalls/HomeGoods to get new sneakers for the twins, and walked out with these lovely end cap finds:

Inspired by our suburban sunsets, perhaps?

A few months ago, I was wandering around my parents’ house, when I spotted a big quartz in their dining room. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. And then, I discovered that it had had a lighted base. Micah might have been confused by my fascination, but I just knew I wanted one of my own.

Fast forward to today. I am wandering again, this time around HomeGoods, when I spot an endcap full of lovely illuminated quartz. What does it do? Nothing. What’s it for? I don’t know. It doesn’t even match my decor. But it’s awesome, and it’s only $19.99. I carry it to the check out line.

“Ma’am, I can help you over here. Okay, just this… thing?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want me to wrap this up?”

“No, it’s fine.”

She looks at me awkwardly, puts it in a bag, then double bags it. I feel kind of stupid. Triumphantly stupid, though. I carry the giant rock out to the car, which weighs a ton about 12 pounds. Micah asks why I appear to be cradling it like a baby. Uhm, because it’s heavy, and I’m pretty sure the bag will break. Don’t worry, I didn’t name it or anything.

I have already been startled a few times, seeing it at the corner of my eye and thinking the house was on fire. I’m still glad I bought it.

We just got through the third hottest July in recorded Syracuse history (the hottest since 1902!) so I still have no interesting house updates to report. We will catch up on things soon!

The air conditioning situation is still sort of unpleasant, but my Mom had a great idea. If we add a window in the living room, we can move the big air conditioner there, and the air will blow straight down the hallway to the upstairs bedrooms. I just love the thought that we’d finally have a window on the east side of the house. We’d be able to see the apple trees and watch the sunrise (corny, but I’d do it all the time). It’s a good alternative to adding wall air conditioners. We will probably do this next spring.

We haven’t been doing much in the way of home improvements, but we are in need of an update! I brought more shells home from the little shop on Bearskin Neck (see last year’s shells). This year’s collection went in the master bedroom.

I wish we had more time for vacations. I would love to have mementos all over the house from our travels!

I didn’t think the flowers would survive through our week away, but we were lucky! It also helps when you have a (fantastic) friend who is willing to stop by and water your plants!

There are some spots to fill in the front. I haven’t planned this out yet, but I am inspired by everything that is already growing here!

We are in a lazy sort of slump. Grilling and running through the sprinkler have taken precedence over paintbrushes… for now. We can’t keep ignoring the fact that our gutters are in terrible shape, so that’s next. They are in need of some maintenance!

I love the wall color in the master bedroom. It’s called Eversong (Color Place), and it seems to change its hue at different times of the day. We replaced the old white ceiling fan with a chandelier three years ago, and after that I started using black frames and accents in a pewter color.

I updated some of the wall art yesterday. I rounded up some extra frames I had in the closet, and ordered prints of some photos I had taken. Total cost: $2.00.

I also found a framed print on sale at Kohl’s (similar to the one in the dining room). It’s hard to resist when you have a 20% off coupon!

I also painted the light fixture in the master bathroom. I couldn’t find a metallic paint I liked, so I ended up using something I already had. I painted the frame of a large mirror (which is now in the master bedroom) and some plates that are hanging in the dining room a few years ago, so I used that. It’s an improvement, and it was free!

Before:

After:

Before:

After (actually lighter than pictured):

Our kitchen cabinets are like lemons. We’ve spent the last five years trying to make lemonade with them… but I’ll get to that.

It all started when I noticed the finish wearing away from the vanity in our master bathroom. We found it through eBay in 2006, and it came with the sink top and faucet. It didn’t match anything, so I decided to sand (by hand) and refinish it.

Before:

After:

The stain is mahogany (Bombay Mahogany by Minwax), and it matches our bedroom furniture. The next thing I knew, I was scrubbing an inconspicuous corner of our kitchen cabinets. To my surprise, the finish came off very easily. I kept going, until I got that sinking “there’s no turning back” feeling I know all too well. I sanded a little at a time, whenever Micah was home and able to watch the kids. I had finished an entire section of cabinets (the area near the pendant lights) before becoming very frustrated. That was when Micah bought me an orbital palm sander for $16.00. I was skeptical, but it turned out to be amazing! We never could have finished without it.

I learned some tricks along the way. I had to strip the first drawer and door after I used a brush to apply the stain. It went on too thick that way and turned out dark. I put on some rubber gloves and covered them in socks. That worked perfectly! I also learned very quickly that I had to do as much work in the garage as possible. The dust would have been overwhelming if I hadn’t!

This went on for about a week, until Micah took over. I never could have gotten everything done without him! I was exhausted.

As I said, our cabinets are like lemons. I don’t know which crazy PO installed these things, but they’re all mismatched. We will never be able to replace them, so we had to get creative. It started when we cut six doors and added glass inserts. Now, they have a beautiful mahogany finish with a glossy coat of poly. It turned out to be a huge project, but we are so happy with the result.

Before:

After:

More kitchen photos are posted here.

I bought a cork and dry erase board, stained the frame, covered the cork in scrapbook paper and added hooks for keys. All of the wall art ties together now.

Cost breakdown for this project:
Stain: $12.00
Sander: $16.00
Sanding pads: $5.00
Board: $10.00
Paper: $1.00
Key hook: $3.00
Total: $47.00.

Click here to see how our kitchen looked when we moved in, along with more before-and-after views.

I would like to get some metallic paint for the light fixture in the master bathroom. It has a few rust spots, but there’s no reason to replace it. I’ve also been searching for a good deal on clear glass knobs for Lily’s dresser and chest of drawers. I think I can find a good deal on eBay if I keep looking. We’ll see!

We don’t have any big projects ahead, but we have updated the kids bedrooms a bit. Will’s chest of drawers was too small. Now that he’s getting bigger, his clothes are, too. I went to my favorite clearance center and found a great deal in the warehouse. There isn’t a mark on it!

His old chest moved into Lily’s room. Its matching dresser was already in there. We bought them about 5 years ago on eBay and painted them white. She didn’t get anything new, but all of her furniture matches!

Will also got a new rug. He has a lot of Circo items in his room (LOVE their products!), so it’s easy to match everything.

Unfortunately, the life span of a comforter is about two years around here. Molly and Mia’s comforters and bed skirts were torn and faded. I do not recommend Olive Kids bedding to anyone! I have never seen something fall apart so quickly. My parents gave them bedding sets in the “Mermaids” pattern for their 5th birthday. Now, as an early 7th birthday present, we found this:

This is the “Dream Poppy” print from Amy Butler. It was on sale, and I also had a 20% off coupon! They are much heavier/warmer than the old sets. I bought basic white sheets and bed skirts, along with some new wall art. I can’t find curtains anywhere that match! The colors aren’t exactly purple, but more of a periwinkle and indigo. It’s tough to match! In the meantime, the twins are thrilled with their room.

I updated the photos of Molly and Mia’s room, Will’s room, and Lily’s room today. We still haven’t installed the toilet in the kids bathroom! It’s tough to get motivated in this kind of weather.

We received this in the mail yesterday:

Thank you!

We recently purchased a new dining set at a clearance center. My parents generously offered to buy us a china cabinet for Christmas. I thought it might be difficult finding one that matched the table and chairs, so I started to look early. I stopped by the store once a week for about 10 weeks to check their inventory, and eventually I stumbled upon a cabinet that was missing a hutch. It didn’t have any noticeable damage, so I asked if they had the hutch. They said they could have it sent from another store. Its only defect was a missing glass shelf. We got both pieces for $650. Here’s a stock photo:

More updated dining room photos are here.

This made me want to do some research on the furniture and where it came from, using just a few item numbers on our receipts.

The dining table is by Stanley, and I found it for sale on numerous websites for an average price of $2500. The chairs are Winners Only X-back chairs, and 6 of them normally cost about $480. Lastly, our Chateau Louis china cabinet by Legacy would cost about $1500. In short, we got $4480 of furniture for $1500! It all matches perfectly. You would never know these pieces were not meant to go together.

I had no place to put my 12-year-old curio cabinet, so I decided to sell it on Craigslist. It was kind of sad to see it go, but I was able to put all of my little treasures in the china cabinet. I’ll also be able to put our new Christmas dishes in once we put in the second glass shelf. I will probably order it from the same glass shop that made the glass inserts for our kitchen cabinet doors.

I moved all of my Yankee Candles into the cabinet, but I ran out of space for things like tarts and jar shades. I found this little end table at T.J. Maxx, marked down to $30 from $80:

I added a covered wicker basket to the bottom for storage. A couple of days later, I found the framed print for $30 at Kohls (I love those additional 30% off coupons). It was kind of strange that I stumbled upon it. Ever since I started the black and white scheme in the dining room, I wanted a framed Steven Meyers print. eBay had the lowest prices, but I still couldn’t find anything of a good size for under $100. This was a great find for me, and I think it completes the room. Looking back, it all started with the chandelier as inspiration.

Whenever I list something on Craigslist, I find myself looking for other things we need to get out of the way at the same time. My desktop computer needed a new hard drive, but it was collecting dust. Micah and I use our laptops for everything now. I figured it would be a good idea to sell the computer and monitor while they were still worth something. It also let me free up all that wasted space on the desk downstairs, and re-purpose it as a place for paperwork and laptops. Eventually, the kids can use it as a space to do their homework. I moved our family photo albums out from the closet so they could be accessed more easily.

Fall is almost here! I don’t have many decorations, but a few festive things have crept their way in.

I can’t believe that in a few short months, we will be decorating for Christmas again!

Hot weather makes me do strange things, like wandering around with a quart of white paint. No, wait. I do that all the time. Sometime between watering the plants and making dinner, I found myself on the ladder painting coaxial cable and nails. The cable ran across the front of the house near the roof overhang. It always kind of annoyed me. The nails were my fault. I put them in a few inconspicuous (sort of) places to hang Christmas lights. Now that it’s all painted, no one will even notice.

Before:

After:

We finally had the driveway sealed. It looks almost seamless (we had the end of the driveway repaired because it was a mess. The last time we did this was three years ago, so it was long overdue. This is the best it can look without ripping out the whole thing, which is never going to happen! I’m very happy with it.

There are a few updates inside the house as well.

The little shells from Rockport inspired me to add some new decor to the living room. I found this cute little plant stand for $10.00:

I wasn’t sure what colors I should use in this room. We have black leather furniture, but the walls and curtains are made up of greens and neutrals. The colors also had to tie in with my favorite part of the room, my grandfather’s painting (read his story here). I bought pillows in a mix of Waverly fabrics. I like the fact that I can buy covers later to update them for different seasons, too.

Now that we’re a family of six, we struggle a bit with closet space. I handle this by choosing a closet or cabinet every couple of months to clean. I do the same thing with the attic and our clothing. If there’s too much clutter or things we haven’t touched in years, it’s time to send some things off to charities.

There was one area I couldn’t figure out, though. When you have a big family, you have a lot of shoes. Micah and I leave ours in the master closet, but the kids kept throwing theirs in the coat closet upstairs. We store the Dyson and our little Shark sweeper in there as well. We needed some separate place to store their shoes.

Most of the things I found online were intended for entryways, but bi-level homes don’t leave you with much space when you come through the front door. I finally settled on a leather storage bench (this one). The kids also like to sit on it when they’re watching TV.

My parents were married in 1964, at which time my mother received an old cookbook from her aunt. It was a copy of the Boston Cooking School cookbook, and she used it all the time when I was young. I always hoped she would give it to me, but knew it was sentimental. I was lucky enough to find a copy on eBay a few weeks ago. It is a 1938 edition. My sister mailed a pretty cookbook holder to me shortly thereafter, so now I can keep it on display. This makes me cautiously optimistic that I will finally learn to cook. We’ll see.

Summer is dragging along. Our tomatoes did not grow as much as I hoped, but the dozen or so we managed to save were delicious.

I was trying to find a product to make the kitchen counters appear more glossy, to no avail. However, I do like Countertop Magic spray. That is probably the best thing I’ll find without begging people to tell me where to find Jubilee Kitchen Wax. I read about paste wax (SC Johnson) and decided to try that… until I smelled it. No thanks.