Home Tour: The Kitchen

It's Spring Break, I'm nesting and the final projects were completed this week so it seemed like the perfect time to do a virtual tour of our kitchen. We've been in our house since the week of Thanksgiving and this is the first room that is 100% finished. Home remodeling never goes as fast as you predict but it is well worth the wait when you see the finished product. 

Welcome to our kitchen!

I've mentioned this before but when we saw this house for the first time and I walked in the kitchen I just knew this was the house for us. The bones of the kitchen were exactly what we were looking for, all it needed was a little updating and TLC. 

 

Looking in from the Dining Room. I love that the island is free standing and the central part of the kitchen. I don't think I would have changed a thing if I had designed it myself.

This is the view from sitting in the living room. It's no secret I've swooned over a white kitchen for a long time. The cabinets needed some touch up paint that Granddad was able to do for us (and he did a fabulous job!) and we added new hardware. I love the mixture of solid doors and glass doors. There's just enough to show some pretties and hide the Frozen sippy cups and snackeez containers :)

We added a subway tile backsplash that is probably my favorite change we made to the kitchen. I didn't realize how much it would bring the room together. 

Our kitchen island is where we spend so much of our time. There's cabinet storage on one side and a ledge on the other for bar seating. It also has a four burner cooktop and the open shelving I use to store my cookbooks and Owen's treats and toys. We eat nearly all our meals here, we have a third smaller barstool that we store in the pantry and pull out when we all three eat at the same time. I know this won't work for much longer when Jack gets here but right now it suits our needs.

I love my cabinets! They are in abundance and include roll out cabinet shelves and built-in organizers. We also upgraded all the appliances to a smudge-proof stainless steel. We knew we would want to do that eventually so while we were changing countertops we knew it was the best time to do that.

 

Speaking of countertops, we upgraded them to a gray granite. We also added new stainless knobs and pulls. For the countertops I knew I wanted something light in color and quartz/marble was not in our budget so we set out to find a light granite that closely resembled what I wanted. We found a perfect slab in Nashville and had it installed by a company out of Bowling Green. We have been very happy with our tops.

 

The view from the breakfast table. No, I don't keep fresh flowers year around but it just so happens to be my birthday week so you can find a beautiful hydrangea (my favorite flower) plant making the room extra happy and springy.

Our barstools were a splurge purchase from Pottery Barn. I was picky about these because I knew this would be where Georgia Grace (and eventually Jack) would sit for breakfast, snack, to watch mommy and daddy cook, etc. so I wanted them to be as safe as possible. I love the high backs and how wide they are. They swivel and the seagrass is perfect for crumbs, just sweep or vacuum them out and voila! They are super comfy too.

We bought identical light fixtures for the breakfast table and island overhead. The kitchen has great can lights as well to highlight the cabinets but the main fixtures of the room were dated. We were nervous about how these would look but so far we love the light they give and how they keep the room open with their glass finish. My only complaint is they are hard to keep clean, especially the one over the island. But their beauty makes up for it!

A good view of the can lights around the perimeter of the kitchen. The flooring is original hardware that is throughout the main floor.

Since we were getting new countertops we upgraded our faucet as well since it would be custom cuts. This is one of the first purchases I made for the kitchen. I knew exactly what I wanted and it has not disappointed.

Our breakfast nook area. I love that it's completely enclosed with floor to ceiling windows. This is a table that was in Marcus's family and we used it as our main dining room table in our starter home. I love that we are able to continue using it in this house. It is the perfect size for the space!

In the corner of the kitchen as you go into the living room we have our "command center". It hasn't received much attention yet and right now mainly functions as our catch all. We did install a granite top from the slab we used in the kitchen and updated the hardware. I'm looking forward to making this space function more efficiently in the future. It has so much potential and right now it's doing a great job of hiding our day to day clutter. Directly across from the command center is a walk-in pantry.

 

Needless to say we love our central hub of the house. We've already made so many memories in our kitchen. Thanks for stopping by!

And a big thanks to Granddad and Chris who helped us with all our kitchen projects. We are forever indebted to them!

 

Sources:

 

Appliances: Frigidaire Gallery series

Faucet: Charlestown chrome

Granite:

Barstools: Pottery Barn

Wall color: Bamboo by Porter Paints

Light fixtures: Glass lantern chandelier

 

28

Tuesday I became another year older yet wiser. These birthdays seem to roll around quicker and quicker each year!

It was a simple day spent at home with my little family. My birthday nearly always falls on Spring Break and we have taken trips in the past but this year of course we knew we had to stay close to home. I enjoyed spending these final days before Jack arrives filled with one-on-one time with Georgia Grace. I put this girl up against anyone on how fast she can destroy a room. She has always played very hard.

The weather has been warm and everything is beautifully in bloom which gave me a little touch of beach fever. I saw this in the store on Monday and decided to give it a try. It was actually a pretty close comparison to a pina colada and I had a little afternoon escape :)

That night we went out to eat at a hibachi grill to celebrate. We took GGH to one on vacation when she was 7 months old so she has no memory of it. She absolutely loved it! She would clap everytime they did something new. She loved the soup and rice the most.

My dear husband took and posted this picture with the caption, "Mommy is how old?". He loves to remind everyone each year on my birthday that he's younger. #cradlerobber

April turns out to be a great birthday month because two of my favorite brands are releasing products this month that I plan to spend my birthday money on. Lilly for Target has me all kinds of happy! I've already picked apart the look book and have my wish list made, including a few things for Georgia Grace. I hope the release doesn't crash the internet because I will definitely be shopping online.

The other product releasing this month that I really want is the Emily Ley baby book. I started following her on IG a year or so ago and fell in love with her products. When she had her twin babies in January and announced she was designing a baby book I decided to hold out for this one that releases April 15th. So excited! And you know you're a mom when part of your birthday money is spent on something for your children :)

Thanks to everybody for the birthday wishes in all their forms and fashion. I'm grateful for 28 years and the new life I'm growing that will be here any day now!

Easter 2015

Easter weekend has come and gone, and it was a great one. Jack decided to not make his grand arrival just yet so all the normal activities went on as scheduled. An Easter baby would have been a neat birth story but I'm glad I was able to enjoy the weekend with family and spend Georgia's last Easter as an only child with her. He's still a very content boy in mommy's belly :) 

Thursday was the Easter party at preschool. It was a yucky, rainy day so their egg hunt had to be moved indoors. I know that's not ideal for them but I think my girl had funny anyway by the look of this picture. This is her and one of her best friends Callyn.

Before they had their egg hunt, they colored the eggs they were going to hunt (each child brought in a dozen hard boiled eggs). We didn't dye eggs at home this year so I'm glad she was able to do it at preschool. And of course the egg she is coloring is orange. When they went to change colors she said "I want orange all the time" ha! But she did venture and try different colors eventually.

 

And I know I'm biased but I have to brag on her preschool. Through this Easter season she has learned about Jesus and came home singing Easter songs about Jesus that she learned there. They always focus on the true meaning of each season and left the secular things be secondary to what really matters. I so appreciate that and I know she is already being fed the knowledge she needs at such a young age. What a blessing!

Saturday was our Easter egg hunt at church and all I could think about was this scene from Steel Magnolias. All we needed was a bunny suit and moped for Marcus! I had to watch it Friday night, it's one of my all time favorites. No labor for me at the hunt but I know I made others nervous waddling around in the church yard.

Sister found 15 eggs at the egg hunt. She was completely content with her loot and watched the other kids hunt in between picking up her eggs.

 

Sunday morning the Easter bunny had left her a basket full of goodies beside her crib.
 

We had some serious bedhead going on which I adore.
 

She loved all of her things! She told us she heard and saw the Easter bunny :) Also, the sweet gown she is wearing is one I bought for her and brother to match just in case he came before Easter. We will still wear them as spring gowns whenever he decides to make his debut.
 

My beautiful chickadee. We decided to do one more year with the bonnet. It's my favorite!
 

Getting too big too fast. I think I'm going to have to start "fixing" her hair...at two and a half. Sister's got the locks!
 

Per the usual my birthday (Tuesday) and Easter shared the occasion, and we all went to my Mamaw Carolyn's after church to celebrate both. She makes (or our friend Gina) me a strawberry cake every year because that's my favorite and I go home with the leftovers so you know what I'm eating this week.
 

We took a few family pictures outside by our cherry tree with perfectly timed blooms. This is our first Spring in our new house and I'm appreciating the nice landscaping we have and Marcus has big plans to improve the yard this week during Spring Break. Also, I was 39 weeks on Sunday. The dress I was going to wear didn't fit and I'm way past the "cute baby bump" stage but I found a canopy to fit me (if you've seen me in the last month odds are I was wearing this dress ha!) and we made it to church on time so all was well :)
 

Sunday evening we celebrated Easter with Marcus's family. I'm afraid this girl is in for a rude awakening soon when she's not the only baby in the family to dote on. She had her own personal egg hunt and two people following her around taking pictures. She doesn't want for a thing!
 

She eventually found all the eggs with help from some adults. I was proud of her!
 

Easter 2015

I'm thankful we serve a risen Savior who paid the ultimate price on the cross so I never have to answer for my sins. They are washed away because I believe in Jesus Christ and accepted Him as my personal Savior. I pray that my children will make that same profession some day and that Marcus and I raise them in a home where they know the real meaning for the season and love God like we do. I hope you and yours had a blessed Easter!

Photo Dump

We are on baby watch and trying to get everything ready to bring Jack home. I went to the doctor Tuesday and hadn't progressed so it's looking like I will make it to my due date or beyond. But there is a full moon this weekend so you never know.

Here is what this week has looked like for us from my iPhone lens (or Marcus's-he finally upgraded to an iPhone 6! He had his old iPhone for 3 years, it was time).

 

I've been making good use of my belly shelf :) I stay hungry all the time so I feel like I'm eating constantly. I may be growing a big eater in there!

 

When we want GGH to stay downstairs in the living room with us we sit out her downstairs basket of toys and she enjoys going through it and pulling everything out. This night she decided it would make a good reading spot. She's such a character!

 

This week the Presbyterian Church in our town is having Holy Week services at high noon. I went on Tuesday and received such a blessing! It put me in the spirit of Easter.
 

Jack continues to be gifted with sweet things. This week my managers and school nutrition staff gave me lots of nice things including this adorable diaper cake! They even bought me a strawberry cake, boxes of diapers, individual gifts and a birthday gift for me too! What a blessing these ladies are to me.
 

Our friend Carissa made sure Georgia felt special and gave her a book about baby brothers. It's seriously the cutest! It talks about the fun things and not so fun things-poop, pee in your eye, etc. She was cackling when I read it to her!

Tuesday was our doggy baby Owen's sixth birthday! This picture is from our engagement pictures taken in the fall of 2009. He was just seven months old and look how big he already was! I have sweet memories of our days as the original Harrison trio. I'm sure he misses those days sometimes too but he sure loves his sister and I'm sure he will welcome Jack too.  

GGH picked a flower for him for his birthday and gave it to him. He also received a steak dinner and an alligator plush toy. He desperately needs a haircut, maybe we will get that done before Jack arrives.
 

Oh you know, just a girl getting ready for a day of preschool. She loves helping me get ready in the morning and handing me the makeup item I need. Or putting it on herself.

Last night we went to my Mamaw Embry's for supper before church and this is what a chocolate ice cream cone for dessert looks like on GGH :) It was so adorable I almost didn't clean her up...almost.

When we got home Wednesday night, we had a package in the mail from our dear friend Emery in Vancouver, Washington. Darcy and I became friends on Instagram and through our friendship our girls have become "penpals". They sent us the nicest box of Easter goodies and even a gift card for Jack's arrival! I can't thank them enough for their generosity and thinking of my kiddos!

 

The weekend is calling my name. I'm not sleeping great so extra rest and relaxation will be nice in between an egg hunt, UK game and Easter Sunday to celebrate Easter and my birthday. Come on Friday! 

Celebrating Jack

This weekend my Mom hosted a sprinkle/brunch for baby Jack and me. I knew I didn't need a full-blown shower since this was our second baby but I'm glad we did a little something special to welcome our son. And we're just so excited it's blue this time!

 

The brunch was at 10:30 am so we had easy, breakfast foods-fresh fruit, blueberry muffins, a sausage casserole, cinnamon rolls, juice and coffee. This is totally my type of menu.

The women in my family did an amazing job pulling this together for me. Originally it was scheduled for the beginning of March but 15 inches of snow cancelled that occasion. We knew it was a risk rescheduling it so close to my due date but everyone was tied up the other weekends leading up to it so March 28th it would be, one day shy of being 38 weeks!

I bought this dress about a month ago so I was worried I wouldn't be able to squeeze in it but I did. Literally s-q-u-e-e-z-e-d in it.

Big sister came along to the brunch of course. She was excited to go to Gammy's house but when we got there and she realized it wasn't going to be play hour with Gammy she wasn't as excited ha! She had a good time though and got to play with some of her friends and cousins.

 

My sweet momma. I honestly don't know what I would do without her. She helps me in so many ways and is the best Gammy to Georgia and will be to Jack too.

All the Porter ladies. My mamaw and sister helped with the brunch too, they are such blessings to me!

All of the women in Marcus's family. They helped prepare food and did a great job as always. If I ever ask them to do something for me they do it no question and usually go above and beyond. I am a blessed daughter-in-law!

My Mamaw Novis, she made her famous cinnamon rolls that were delicious.

Jack received so many wonderful gifts. In the south it doesn't matter if it's your first baby or your fifth baby, they receive equal amounts of love and presents :)

And who doesn't love the facial expressions caught when someone is opening gifts. Especially gifts that describe cute baby things.

I mean come on this is special. ;)

This may be my favorite picture from the day. The terrible twos somehow didn't seem to hit until about 2.5 for Georgia and she was showing some tendencies on Saturday. She had just declared to everyone that "No" she didn't want to open the gifts that friends and family had specifically got for her and then in one of her gift bags was a bag of cheetos from my cousin Charla and her whole world changed. She knows the way to her heart :)

 

 I've mentioned Chris before, he's our handyman that has taken on a lot of house projects for us (he just finished building us cubbies for our laundry/mudroom-woohoo!). His wife Gina is equally talented. She made this adorable diaper cake for me. I plan to display it a while before using it, I love it!

 

And a very special gift I was given is a bassinet. My mom found the bassinet at a yardsale but it was upholstered for a girl. I asked Grandmomma if she could modify it for me and she agreed.

 

Big sister checking out Jack's bassinet. I'm sure I'll be seeing this a lot soon.

 

Here is the finished product. I cried when I saw it for the first time. It was everything I had imagined and more. It has wheels so I can move it from room to room. It's perfect.

 

Two sets of best friends! Roman was the only male at the sprinkle and wore the crown proudly. Jack has received a lot of Roman's hand me downs, I'm so grateful we have a baby friend that's older and will be in the same season of clothing.

 

My best friend Ashley who has spoiled both my babies rotten. We hope to be doing the same to her future baby(ies) soon!!

 

My awesome friend Mary Beth came in from Louisville to be at the sprinkle! It made my weekend that her and John made the trip to celebrate with us. John and Marcus are college buddies that have stayed connected despite the distance between them. We call them our old papaws. They are so much alike, they send each other food items in the mail, have a passion for cigars and could be brothers separated at birth. They spent the day together while we brunched so it was a fun day for everyone.

 

Georgia Grace, Mary Beth and John Ford-three people with such awesome middle names you have to call them by both :)  

 

Saturday was a perfect day which concluded with the Cats squeaking out a victory over Notre Dame to advance to the Final Four! I somehow stayed calm and did not go into labor. Thanks to everyone who helped us "sprinkle" Jack with love this weekend, he is loved by so many already.