DIY Kitchen Makeover

We are FINALLY finished with our Kitchen makeover. I've been wanting to redo our kitchen since we moved in. It wasn't that it looked bad before, it was just really...boring. We started this project at the beginning of April and just finished this past memorial day weekend. I really love how it turned out! This is what we did:

Floor:

We started the floor first. We tore out the old tile with a borrowed jackhammer with a special attachment for prying off tiles (definitely the best way to remove a tile floor). It took about a half a day to remove the old tiles, clean, and pop the chalk lines. We found this great, grey striped porcelain tile at Home Depot for $1.99 per square foot...A Steal!!

Cabinets: 

We didn't want to spend the money to replace the cabinets entirely. They are actually pretty nice cabinets, I just didn't much care for their finish. In the past, I have used the Rustoleum Cabinet Refinishing Kit. They didn't have the exact color I wanted, however, so I had paint mixed. I basically used the liquid sander, glaze, and top coat and followed all the steps from a Rust-Oleum kit, but used my own mixed paint. They are very durable, and no, they don't peel or chip like regular painted cabinets. The kits are about $75, and will take care of a pretty large kitchen with some left-over for touch-up. We finished the cabinets with some hardware I found at Lowes.

Countertop and Backsplash:

The countertop was ordered from Lowes. It's a solid surface countertop, and it is very durable. It pays to shop around when it comes to the countertop. Check some local places in comparison to the big companies like Lowes and Home Depot. We ripped out the old countertop ourselves, but paid to have the pros do the install. We purchased these basic porcelain white subway tiles on clearance, and installed the backsplash ourselves, complete with white grout and a new kitchen faucet. 

Lighting:

We installed under-mount LED lighting on the cabinets to make things extra bright. My husband also built a light from scratch out of sheet metal and some old powerline insulators. It's one of my favorite parts of the whole kitchen!

Appliances:

This is where most of the money goes in a kitchen. Appliances are expensive. We switched to stainless the week we moved in because the dishwasher didn't work and the house didn't come with a fridge. I love how they look with the grey cabinets!

I love the before and after for this kitchen! :-)

MAYby Baby

One month from Zoe's 18 month birthday, and we are staying busy, busy, busy!

I went to a wedding the first weekend in May. It's the longest I've been away from my baby girl. It was hard, but I had an absolute blast hanging with my girls all weekend.

This last month, we have been trying to finish the kitchen project. It seems like my house has been a disaster forever. I'm definitely ready for this project to be over. The countertops are finally finished, but not without some drama. They look fantastic, though, and it's nice to have a place to prep dinner again. We have nearly everything finished, but for the backsplash tile work. Once we get that, and the
light Andrew built, hung, I'll post pictures of everything. I can't wait to show everyone!

Easter was also this past month. I was shocked at how well Z did with hunting eggs. She was a pro! We went to a couple different egg hunts, and she had a blast and got eggs at each. She even saw the easter bunny!

Mother's day this past weekend was super fun. Andrew took off work Friday, and we drove to Tulsa with my mom, sister, and her family. We stayed at a hotel in Tulsa that has a nice indoor baby pool with slides and toys. The next day, we drove to Bartlesville to see my Aunt, Uncle, Grandma, and cousins. We don't get to see them often, and it's always so wonderful to catch up. You can see from the picture, that she was super excited to be held by great grandma ;-)

In other news, Zoe had a checkup with the doctor this past month. She is 20.8 pounds (37%), 30 inches tall (18%), and has a head circumference of 47 cm. (76%). The doctor mentioned that she took another dive on the height curve, but after I explained that she didn't have a prayer of being even average in the height department, he said it was nothing to worry about.

The doctor  has also referred her to go back to the children's eye care specialist this month. He suspects that the small speck in the pupil/iris of her eye may be causing a small tracking problem. We are hoping everything comes back ok, and it won't require any intervention.

Z also got her ear's pierced this month! I think it's sooo cute! She did really well, and only cried for a few minutes. She has also done a good job leaving them alone!

Here is what's new with Z this month:

Favorite Thing to Do: She really wants to play...with anyone... She has the most fun when her cousins come to visit!
Favorite Food: She is starting to get a little picky when it comes to food. She can be eating the exact same thing as Andrew and I, but she wants to eat off OUR plate, instead of her own. Her favorites are still mac and cheese and bananas. She has also discovered ketchup...

New This Month: When the phone rings, she asks "who's that?" It's hilarious! She also has her first freckle (on her arm) that she points to constantly and asks "what's that?"
Growth: We went to JBF this month. It was fabulous this time around, and I got a ton of stuff. I mostly bought 18 month clothes, which seem to be just about right (maybe a little big). I'm hoping she makes it though the summer in 18 months!

Sleep: She is doing really well, but we have yet to break the binky. I'm planning to do it in September after we get back from Andrew's sister's wedding.

Speaking: I think she may be a little behind in the speech department. We have been working with her, but the doctor suspects the ear infections may have had a bit of an impact on her speech development. She has been doing much better this month, and she get's clearer all the time.
Movement: She still very much likes to climb. It also turns out that she is a bit of a natural (and a dare devil) when it comes to swimming. She kept trying to paddle, kick, and jump off the side at the pool in Tulsa!
Behavior: I'm really excited because she has started following directions. You can ask her to "go find her sippy cup" and she will bring it to you to refill, or you can tell her to "go throw it away" and she'll take a piece of trash to the trash can. It makes things so much easier!!