1980's Kitchen Makeover

Way back here, I mentioned that my parents finally got around to updating their kitchen. Over the years, they had gotten new counters, appliances ( as they broke), and added a backsplash but everything else is original to the house when the built it back in 1987.

Since they already had granite counters they liked,they were able to salvage them and simple buy a matching Santa Cecilia slab for the new additions. They also upgraded to all new stainless steel Samsung appliances, ripped out the drop lighting and got rid of the peninsula. They salvaged the backsplash as they still liked it and it is pretty neutral. The flooring was replaced with "wood" tile planks that I LOVE! And the best part... the new cabinets!

This is my dad's docking station for ipad, phones etc. 

The photos make everything appear more orange than in real life! The kitchen looks double the size with the removal of the peninsula. The added a build in table instead along with a docking station. They also added a granite sink which I think looks great and breaks up the steel.

Luckily, my dad was able to do a lot of the work himself which saved them a TON! All the cabinets were ordered from Lowe's and my dad did the install. He also did all the electrical work and installed the crown. I painted. They hired someone to rip out the old tile and granite and install the new.

While it may not be 100% my style, I think it looks fantastic and is such a huge improvement over the "before". What do you think?

Speaking of kitchens... I still owe a backspash update on my own kitchen!

Mailbox Makeover

Part of what we worked on during the Labor Day weekend was fixing up our mailbox. It was looking rather rusted and weathered.

The plan was to detach the mailbox and give it a coat of primer and paint. Lowe's is no longer selling Krylon spray paint so it was on clearance for $1.25/ can.... I bought the remaining three cans of primer + paint in white.

While I was at the store, Tim attempted to remove the mailbox from the post and ledge. The screws were melted into the mailbox which made this a rather difficult task. We started to wonder if we would have to replace the post as well since we could not remove the mailbox from the ledge. Luckily, we were able to saw the mailbox off the ledge, saving the ledge but ruining the mailbox. The mailbox was almost rusted through on the inside so back to the store I went to purchase a new mailbox. While I was there, I also picked up this mailbox sign:

Tim set to work on washing the post and ledge. I taped up my new mailbox sign and gave it two coats of oil rubbed bronze paint. Luckily, they give you a great template for laying the numbers so there is no guesswork in placement.

 While that was drying,  we coated the existing post and ledge with two coats of white spray paint. After everything was dry. We attached the mailbox.

I originally wanted the mailbox sign to hang off the ledge, below the mailbox. But since we had to add a bracket to support the weight of the mailbox a few months' back, this was not an option. Second choice was to hang the mailbox vertically, along the post.

Not too bad for an hour of work?

Oh and while we were adding curb appeal, I decided to address the dying flowers around the tree. I pulled them all out and purchased four large ceramic pots at Lowe's. I don't think I ever realized how expensive these pots can be! Luckily, these were on clearance, saving me $5/ pot. I also picked up 4 plants at $2.50 each.

Total cost for our labor day project= $115 (One can of spray paint- $1.25, New Mailbox- $18.98,  Mailbox Sign- $19.98,  4 ceramic pots- $60 and 4 plants- $10).

Labor filled Labor Day Weekend

Don't you just LOVE three day weekends? That extra day makes such a difference! If I had the choice, I would work four 10-hour days to always have a three day weekend.

Tim and I didn't really have too much on the agenda for the weekend. Friday night we had an impromptu date night and went to our favorite sushi restaurant: Mikes Sushi and Sake Bar. We then went to Macy's to shop for the husband. He has lost close to 20 pounds over the summer and needed some smaller pants. Macy's had an awesome Labor Day Sale where the men's dress pants were buy one get one free. Between the sale and my Macy's coupons, we got 5 pairs of pants for under $100.

Saturday we made a list of all the projects that needed to be finished up over the weekend. I did the laundry, Tim did the lawn. I weeded and... we FINISHED the backsplash. I also made an awesome dinner of homemade Bang Bang Shrimp and roasted brussel sprouts.

Sunday was the errand day: church, Target, Publix and shoe shopping. After coming home, unpacking everything and having lunch, we decided to go look at a couple of thrift stores nearby. Two out of the three were closed so we headed over to a large Goodwill that we have had a lot of luck at in the past. We left empty handed..nothing stood out to us this time. The rest of the evening was spent cleaning out drawers and closets.

Today was super productive. I was at Lowe's by 7 am picking up a few items to finish off two projects. I chopped fruit for the week, made a homemade soup and rearranged some things around the house. I swore to myself I would tackle my embarrassingly large "to be ironed pile" but I am slowly losing momentum!

Tuesdays are the longest day of the week for me due to a late standing appointment with a client. I plan to made Beef Fajitas in the crock-pot so that dinner is ready when I get home.