the kitchen

Possibly the ugliest room in our home: the kitchen.  Builder's 1987 oak cabinets, ivory Formica counters, original vinyl floor - complete with rips and burns.  Classy.  Since kitchens help sell houses, we needed a re-do (10 years ago we needed a redo!), and we had a budget.

These are the counter tops.  Bought them from Home Depot, who is having a 10% off sale right now on Wilsonart Laminate counters... so with the extra money we got a fancier edge.  (Full Wrap Ogee, if that means anything to you... to me it just "looked nicer")

This is the tile for the floor and the back splash.  It's actually a lighter, sandy color porcelain tile (not  "pink" like the picture), but has slate profile. My contractor and I both walked right to it - and he said, "It's is never this easy."  Basic 16x16 tiles on the floor, 8x12 staggered tiles as a back splash  (NOTE: THIS IS NO LONGER THE TILE. BECAUSE IT IS PINK AND UGLY.)

 
I know I was going to paint the cabinets... but with our not changing the appliances (which are white) I actually wanted to go darker.  I'm going to try gel staining over the oak to get a darker, richer color.  Not as dark as below, but this is an example of gel stain over oak. 

Moen Faucet in stainless steel, spot free. 

No decision on the hardware yet, except that it will be in the same metal as the faucet.  I've picked a white, cast iron Kohler sink - very similar to what we have right now.... but new and pretty.

Wish us luck!  The kitchen should be done before Thanksgiving... nothing like pushing a date like that!

A school dance...

On Thursday, directly after school for one hour in the school gym it happened.  DD1's very first school dance.  She's been looking forward to school dances for a while now. 
She?  Had a ball.  She hung out with her friends, they all danced together, they watched the boys all be silly, they giggled, had snacks, were seen, outfits were complimented: pure joy.

She can't wait for her next school dance.
She can't wait for that much fun with her friends after school.
She CAN wait for a boy to ask her, because her response afterwards was, "Mom, you were right. Dances really are more fun when you just go with your friends."  (Not that she has anything to compare this to... but I'm so glad she has such good friends.

It's all good.